FateChaos: The Greater Holy Grail War
by The Wizard of Runes
Summary: (Full) (SYOC! Read the requirements/rules at the bottom of the first chapter before applying) The Greater Holy Grail has materialized once more, and with it a new Greater Holy Grail War has begun. It has appeared in a place very problematic for the Mage's Association, and so the pressure is on more then ever, as each person moves with their own motives.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

Crimson fire and blue lightning.

"Did you honestly think that I would give up easily? Lets do this, Excalibur!"

And so, Sabre of Black unleashed her Noble Phantasm as she clashed with with the Sabre of Red. The shockwaves created by the two cracked the ground, destroyed several trees around them, and caused untold catastrophic damage across the region. Furthermore, the sheer magical power caused a pillar of red and blue to shoot up into the sky.

Sabre of Black attacked again and again, pushing Sabre of Red back. But Sabre of Red suddenly ducked and went around her, striking at her side. She took the blow, being blown away several dozen meters but ended up landing on her feet. Her helmet long torn to pieces, her blonde hair was let down.

"I think that you are far too arrogant missy. To face off so easily...against a god".

"You are the one who is arrogant, thinking I would let you get away with all this!"

"Fine then. I suppose no words will stop you...except maybe, the cries of children. But will it be for enjoyment, or despair?"

"You bastard!" Sabre of Black shouted, and then charged right at Sabre of Red.

Meanwhile, two smaller figures looked out at all the chaos, but neither of them took their eyes off of each other. Both of them had brown hair, but one had red eyes and one had blue. Both appeared young though, no older then ten or eleven, but they stood perfectly on top of rooftops.

"This fight is getting interesting. Want to just get some popcorn and watch?"

"Not happening. I wont eat any food made by you".

"Awww, you dont trust me?"

The boy with blue eyes turned towards the one with red.

"Says the Assassin..."

"...I am not the only one who is an Assassin here".

Assassin of Black and Assassin of Red stared off at each other. While it seemed casual between the two of them, each one was looking for the chance to gut each other and slit their throat.

"I suppose if they are going to put on a show, we should do the same".

"All this staring is getting annoying..."

And then suddenly, they disappeared, reappearing in the center space between the two. Both drew dual daggers and tried to attack, but were prevented from hitting each other by their own blocking and dodging ability.

And while they, and all the other servants, fought it out to the death over the Greater Grail, Sherlock Holmes, the Ruler, stood and watched.

"...where is that person...after all the chaos he caused in starting this Greater Holy War, it certainly wont end this simply".

There was something terribly wrong here...

* * *

Several days ago...

"What do you mean, the Greater Holy Grail appeared there?!"

"I-I am only telling you as it is! We have confirmed the Greater Holy Grail...appeared in a large scale school campus, made up of elementry, middle, and high school levels! Somehow the public is not aware of it yet, but...well, its causing the people around them to suddenly develop magic circuits and develop Magecraft out of the blue!"

The Mage's Association was not hearing the best of news, although he did get a chance to breath with relief when he heard the public was not aware of the situation yet.

"And...what about Servants?"

"Thats...tahts the thing. We believe some of the Magecraft that is being delivered to them...is servant summoning".

The man stood up and began to pace around his office. This was a potential disaster. Children developing magic circuits at an alarming rate. If they were in Mage families, this would pose no issue at all, but they were not. Somehow, they would need to be taken from their famlies immediately and get placed in mage households and trained and taught immediately.

Of course, the development of Magecraft could be said to be a blessing, but it raised concerns. And how were they supposed to remove an entire student body, get the Greater Holy Grail, and somehow not expose magic to the world.

"...so, we can expect servants on the side of Black then?"

"Yes. Which means, we will need to raise a force to counter them".

"Uhg...why is this all coming up so suddenly...how did the Greater Grail even appear with us learning of it this late?"

"It appears there are some caverns under the school used as secret hangouts and such. It materialized into the largest cavern, in the center".

"So then...its another Grail War?"

"Indeed. Should we begin calling upon servants and masters?"

"Of course! The Grail is in such a precarious position right now! If a single one of those students post it to facebook or instagram, the entire world could learn of magic! We have to stop them!"

"Very well. Then shall I access the deepest vaults to obtain relics to use for summoning?"

"Yes. And do it quickly".

With the sudden appearance of the Greater Holy Grail in what they might consider one of the worst possible spots, second only to Central Park in New York City or the very center of Tokyo, things were going into high alert mode and accelerating at a rapid pace. Every effort had to be made to win the Holy Grail War, at all costs.

* * *

And meanwhile, at Toketo Advanced School, things were already on the move.

"Has everything been prepared?"

"Yes Ma'am. Including yourself, we have prepared the seven people who have the most advanced Magic Circuits, and also have prepared the summoning circles needed".

"Jeese, no need to call me Ma'am. I just happen to be the president of the student council, Suzuki Subaru".

"Still, please be careful. Things will get dangerous".

"Yeah yeah, I understand. Anyways, tell me about the others. How strong are they even?"

"Aside from yourself, we have prepared these documents for you of the students. It seems they have been scattered around the age groups. As you told us, you wanted those with the best magic circuits no matter what, and that is what I did. All are willing to help, though I do have some concerns about Toko Kiragame. He is only nine..."

"And yes, his magic circuits are some of the most developed out of everyone. Even more then mine, and he is a natural genius at Magecraft who is already beginning to make his own style".

"So you know of him then?"

"Yes. And also...I know he can be a bit impatient..."

As he said that, the two looked and watched as he activated his summoning circle already.

"Damnit, that kid!"

"HOld on, I want to see who he summons. I already tested it out first, and summoned..."

"..me, right?" a female knight said as she appeared behind her wearing casual clothes. Others, boys and girls of all ages that were scattered about the underground workshops, also got more interested.

And thus, the summoning seemed to take as magic formed around the circle. Three Command Spells appeared on Toko's right hand, and as for who appeared in front of him.

"Heyo everyone! Assassin of Black is here for fun and games, and to win the Holy War! Oh, and this is my pet falcon, Iris!"

A very loud, very energetic, and very...naked...boy shouted that as he stood within the summoning circle.

"Oh, right! My name is..."

And suddenly, he got tackled to the ground and his mouth covered by Toko.

"Don't reveal your name like that!"

"Mhhmmm...mhhhmmm..." Assassin tried to respond, but was unable to until his mouth was no longer covered. "Fine fine, but just calling me Assassin or such all the time seems really silly. So lets give each other nicknames then at least! You can call me Sho! No no wait, what is this that I am learning...the Japense language? Culture? Oh, it seems really cool! Nevermind, nevermind! Call me Sho-chan! Or Sho-kun? One of those! No, use both of them, just use one some time and the other the other times!"

"Uhhh...I think I will just call you Sho-kun probably...or maybe just Sho..."

"No no no! These honorrifics things seem really cool!"

Toko turned towards the student president.

"Pres...did I break our assassin somehow?"

"Dont be too surprised. After all, look at our friend here. She surprised us with her true appearance and being at the round table, though I certainly do enjoy the idea myself".

"Besides, we get to experience life again, in this mysterious and exciting age" Sabre of Black added, looking out over them all. "Its only natural that some of us would be a bit excitable. That said, I wonder now...who else will be chosen for our side. I do hope there is no one truly dishonorable. I suppose I should seem relieved that Assassin doesn't seem like an evil bastard. Do you have any ideas who he is?"

"Not many heroes can appear as Children. The main ones I would think would be Gilgamesh, Jack, Red Ridding Hood, and...ah yes, of course".

"You know who he is?"

"Yes, I am absolutely certain now he is Horus. Horus is often depicted as a naked boy, and the falcon with him is also a symbol of him. Furthermore, I believe we used an old artifact believed to be from Egypt, so Horus is the likely conclusion".

"What about my identity?"

"We will let the wind take its course, without prodding it along. Actions will be our announcement".

"Very well, Master. Sounds good to me. By the way, I do not know much of this Horus. Who is he?"

"He is the one who defeated his brother, Set, and was a child of the gods, a god himself also. Interesting that he is an Assassin, but perhaps that is because he and his brother continued to try and kill each other. Of all heroes, Children tend to get cast in the roles of Castor, Assassin, and sometimes Archer".

"I see".

"Now, let us see what the others come up with".

And off in the distance...

"And put some clothes on damnit!"

* * *

"Some of our summonings and Masters have succeeded, as expected".

A man delivered that report to one of hte leaders of the Mage's Association.

"And? Who are they, and what servants have they summoned?"

"We have managed to summon Sabre of Red, and Assassin of Red so far. As for their Masters, they are Terry Blood, and Rune. Here are their profiles".

"Rune? Just Rune?"

"Not much is known about the boy, aside from the fact he managed to sneak past all of our security, went up to the summoning circle, and summoned Assassin of Red. Afterwhich, the two went to the cafeteria and are still there right now".

"How did we learn his name?"

"He gave us his dossier, as well as his card indicating his membership with us, and even wrote down what wish he wanted".

"And what of Assassin?"

"At the very least, he looks stable minded and sane. But Rune wont reveal his true name to us".

"And Sabre of Red?"

"Ah, yes. We have confirmed that the summoning went exactly as we hoped. Sabre of Red will be the tip of our spear".

"Excelent. We have to stop this madness as quickly as we can. A god on our side will truly help settle this quickly".

"Yes. Finish gathering the rest of the forces, and then send them out towards the target area. As the holders of the Greater Grail, they have the luxury of being on defense, and so possess the terrain advantage. I want to be briefed on the region immediately, with the other Masters once they finish their summoning, in the meeting room. Prepare the presentation".

"At once, sir".

And so, both sides began to make their moves and summon their servants.

* * *

Welcome one, welcome all, to the SYOC section!

As you may have guessed, this here is to help overview what I already took, and what is available!

**Black Team:**

Sabre: Taken by a Knight of Camelot. Partner is Suzuki Subaru.

Lancer: Open

Rider: Open

Assassin: Taken by Horus. Partner is Toko Kiragame.

Castor: Open (Please no evil Castor. I am not opposed to some of the servants being evil, twisted, or such, on either side, and will have to add some if no one else does, but Castors always seem to get a bad rap. Therefore, I want at least one Castor who isn't an evil asshole)

Archer: Open

Berserker: Open

**Red Team: **

Sabre: Taken by Unknown God. Partner is Terry Blood.

Lancer: Open

Rider: Open

Assassin: Taken by Unknown. Partner is Rune.

Castor: Open

Archer: Open

Berserker: Open

**Other:**

Ruler: Taken by Sherlock Holmes, no Master.

Students of Toketo Advanced School: Making up forces and allies for Black Team. Please only submit Master and Servants only, as it will already be 28 main characters to keep track of.

Mage's Association: Making up forces and allies for Red Team. Again, please only submit Masters and Servants.

**Requirements:**

Must be well written with spelling and grammar that does not make my eyes burn. (I am actually not that picky, but after some things I have seen, I need to have some minimum level of effort)

Black Team must be made of mostly students at Toketa Advanced School, but a teacher or two will be allowed. Also, they cant all be high schoolers, but throw some middle schoolers, or if you can write a good one, even an elementry schooler.

Submit your request AS A REVIEW! That way, others can easily see it as well, and there wont be as many, or better yet, hopefully no conflicts at all between submissions.

You must include the Name, Age, Nicknames, Likes, Dislikes, Their Wish, and some background on who they are, as well as what Magecraft they have become able to use, as well as listing a few key words for their personality traits.

You must describe the servant in use, including his or her general moral code, abilities, and Noble Phantasms, as well as his name, some of his lore that you focused on, and their wish.

You cant use any of hte masters from the canon. You can however, have them be related or connected in some way to other canon masters. Special exceptions may apply to certain individuals though, depending on how well they are written.

Sorry if it seems like a lot, but this is needed to make sure this is done properly. Anyways, cant wait to see what we get! (For the record, if there is still any vacancies, I will eventually fill them as well)


	2. Chapter 2: Change and Adapt

Chapter 2: Change and Adapt

* * *

So, here is an update on still unfilled positions, for those who are curious and/or still making characters:

Lancer of Black (In progress of being made by LunaRose, has been reserved)

Rider of Black

Lancer of Red

Rider of Red

Berserker of Red (Servant has been taken, needs Master)

Elements08 has decided to make his character Castor of Red, thus the position is taken.

I am writing this chapter half to introduce some of the new characters, instead of introducing them all at once, and half to update people on the current listings. And then, also half because I am super inspired and excited and I wanted to. lol. Also, this lets people who submitted give actual reviews now.

Anyways, as I said, I plan to introduce everyone over time. So dont worry if your characters dont appear yet, or dont get as much spotlight. Everyone will have their time to shine. As for roles not filled yet, I will see about giving it another day or so before I just fill them myself to give others the chance. At least two people are working on something, though I dont know the specifics yet.

Also, if anyone just wanted to make a master, only Berserker of Red was submitted and is open for anyone to make a Master for.

* * *

"Ehh? What is so wrong?"

"What do you...your standing naked in front of everyone!"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"What the...its just really embarrassing!"

"I dont see why. The natural body is a beautiful thing that should be admired. I hold no shame in my own body. Instead, how about you join me and see for yourself".

"Well, it is true you have an adorable, healthy body" the Student Council President Suzuki Subaru mentioned as she approached Toko and Horus with a sort of playful teasing voice. "I should know, I have seen it a lot".

"D-Dont bring that up now, especially in that context! Don't tease me like that!"

"Ooooh, you have a girlfriend huh?"

"No no! She just also helps the nurses office! She does my physical exams every week!"

"So you get to stand naked in a room with her alone..."

"Shuuuuut upppppp!"

"Anyways, come on. Stop being so shy. No one else will mind".

"What?! No...no way! And...and well...well...as an Assassin, you will stand out if you stay like that!"

After hearing that, Horus sighed and shrugged.

"Fine, fine...I do want to go out and see the sights myself" he said, as a strange shadow came around and shrouded his body. "And I suppose I should make sure I can blend in too, while I am at it".

Soon after, the shroud dissipated, and he was dressed in modern styled clothing. He had large boots that went halfway up to his knees, a pair of black shorts, a black hoodie with an open zipper, and a white T shirt with the word "Adventure!" on it in red block styled letters. However, that was when he looked around...and noticed everyone else was wearing school uniforms with a blue and white design, featuring blaisers, shorts, skirts, and even ties.

"Huh. Well, I suppose I could either change again or conceal my presence, at least in public. Oh yeah, for safety reasons, I will be sleeping with you in your bed".

"Huh...huh?! What does that mean?!"

"Well, if you died from an enemy while sleeping, that would be bad after all. After all, we are probably going to get targeted first".

At those words, Toko had to stop for a moment, and acknowledge that truth. In terms of Servants that are usually hunted down and taken out early, those were Assassins and Castors, because they got more dangerous the later it got. After all, if a Lancer and Sabre were doing battle, and the Sabre were about to win...an Assassin could come out from behind, assassinate the Sabre, and then finish off the Lancer for good measure if it was a free for all.

Not to mention, for this team battle, Assassins could scout out enemy positions, lay traps, and other such things. Taking one out in a Greater Holy Grail war meant that side lost their scout, information gatherer, and a trump card that could change the tides of a battle.

As for Castors, that was because they could keep creating territory and magic items, and people wanted to eliminate them before it happened.

Toko looked back at the student council president, who was also the leader of the Black Faction. For the record, they were the Black Faction because due to the last Greater Holy Grail War, it was decided that the Black Faction would be the defense team who had possession of the Greater Holy Grail, while the Red Faction would be the offense side. In other words, Toketa Advanced Academy, the mountains to the north, the forest to the south, and the city to the west, as the academy itself sat on the Eastern coast and had ocean there.

AN ocean that was currently being heavily patrolled and fortified.

"Speaking of which, Toko, Assassin, you two should head into the city, go to a bath house on Yamata Street".

"Wait, what?"

"Trust me" she said, as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, a dome formed around them and cut off the outside world. Little did Toko know, this was going to cause a lot of rumors to spread he would not want. "As for you...you are Horus, right?"

Assassin nodded. "You figured it out?"

"I studied a lot of history, and I remembered what each artifact was. Therefore...you have that Noble Phantasm right? The Eye of Horus?"

"Yeppers!"

"Good. Then, both of you stay safe. Head into the city, go to the bathhouse, and then check up on the security we have around the city. The Mage's Association should already be sending scouts. We need a test run, and the two of you are perfect. And Toko...if you get into trouble, dont be afraid. Just do what you can".

"Un. Got it".

With that said and done, she disabled the barrier, and proceeded to seperate from them so they could do their tasks while she handled her own matters then.

"Alright! Lets go to this thing called a bath house then! I really want to see this body of yours..."

"Wh...wha...stop being so weird!"

Meanwhile, antoher figure, an older one of the teachers, approached her, along with another man. However, that was no mere man, as the first one had his own Command Spells on his right hand.

"I see. So you have finished, Serdtse-sensei?"

"Indeed" he said, then looking over at Toko. "Are you sure you two are not brother and sister though? You and Toko-kun always seem so close, after all...and, do you really want him to go out there?"

"Toko is the best bet, you know that. His Magecraft and Magic Circuits are even superior to my own. I still beat him out in strategic thinking though, but Toko and Assassin will be our aces".

"You are too modest, Suzuki-chan. As our leader, you are our ace, you and your Sabre".

"Indeed. This humble Castor is nowhere near as great as you, Sabre".

"Speaking of whcih...Castor, we need you to create and expand your territory immediately. And..."

She looked around, just in time to see another summoning be completed and a contract form.

"Well done, Mika-chan. Which servant did you manage to summon?"

"Ah...Archer, Suzuki Daicho!"

Sabre then came forth and approached Archer at the same time he began to approach Suzuki. It seemed he was a boy, older then Horus, but still young, in his early or maybe mid teens.

"A pleasure to meet you, Archer".

"Please is all mine, Sabre".

"Yes. However, you should take care to look at my Master with respect, and not with a gaze that requires me to punch your face in".

"Relax, relax. I wasn't going to do anything. Just admiring is all..."

"Anyways. Archer, I want you to help Sabre train to deal with Archer of Red, whoever it is. All we know for certain is that Archer of Red will likely employ long range attacks as an Archer, so I want Sabre to train to deal with that since Archer might end up being one of hte more problematic ones for us".

"Sorry. Even if you are the leader of this group, my Master is her. I cannot accept that request on my own".

Sabre gripped her sword, as Billy said that. Although he was truthful, something about the way he said it ticked Sabre off. However, Suzuki stopped her.

"Mika, do you mind?"

"Please help her, Archer. We wont win the Greater Holy Grail War if we cant defeat the Red Faction".

Archer shrugged it off immediately, accepting her words.

"Very well, Master. Come on Sabre, we have training to do".

"Yes. Lets".

* * *

"So, what is the history between you two?"

Horus asked this as he and his master were just walking down the road and entering the city. There were multiple ways to get there, including a monorail, a ferry, and a train, but they had decided to walk. It wasn't like it was a long walk after all.

"There isn't any! She has just been really nice to me, and looks after me".

"You know...you really shouldn't hide important truths from your own servant".

Horus immediately called him out on his lie.

"Especially when that servant possesses a Noble Phantasm like my Eye of Horus".

"Its just...its personal okay...maybe we should just go do something else".

"Nope! You are not getting out of this!" Horus said as he grabbed Toko's hand and pulled him forward. "As we are Master and Servant, something like sharing a bath should be natural for us!"

* * *

"I wonder if this was really a good idea..." Rune mentioned to Inuzuka as the two watched the area from a distance. The boy was several years younger then the Master of Archer of Red, wearing red shorts, a black shirt with a red skull and crossbones on it, and a backpack to his side that was black and red. He was notably barefoot at the moment, with his shoes put to the side with his socks as he lay down on the ground.

Well, in truth, it was only Inuzuka who was actually watching. Rune was staring at the sky and wondering if this was really a good idea.

At the meeting earlier, when they had been discussing various plans and suggestions, it came to their attention that while they had managed to gather some information, they ultimately did not have enough.

And so, they tasked Archer and Assassin to take on the roles as well as their masters, as they had the greatest ability to scout out information.

And yet, even though Rune was laying down relaxed, soaking in the sun, it was really Assassin who was needed. The masters were currently watching from a rooftop far away.

"Well? What is the news?"

"It seems a number of the students have free time on their hands. Groups of them keep wandering around. At least, that is what it seems..."

"Seems?"

Inuzuka looked over at Rune.

"Well, if you would bother watching as well, you would notice. All of the groups are made up of four students at least, with an occasional group of five".

"...all of them? What about their walking paths?"

"Its exactly as you think. It seems random, but there are multiple groups out at once, and their paths allow for no openings. In other words, its a scouting perimeter. Most likely, if something needs investigating, they have two students go forward to check it out, while the rest stay in place and cover them as well as the other angles. Also, its slight, but their angles of vision leave absolutely no blindspots in their patrol for sneaking up on them. And I am pretty sure they are all armed with weapons, and likely know some form of Magecraft".

Rune whistled at that news.

"Wow...they are really going all out huh? If it was anyone other then us and our servants, we would get spotted for sure, and their whole force would come to crush us".

"I doubt it. This level of strategic planning is not easy. I suspect that they would be more tactical about it. Still, do they expect us to fight in populated streets in front of normal people?"

At those words, Rune finally sat up and shook his head. "Nah, they are smarter then that too. They are just preparing and watching out for anything".

"...are these really kids? Its not just high schoolers I am seeing, but middle and even elementry school students. Elementry is more rare, but the groups that are out there...I get the feeling there are a number of Magecraft Prodigies around here".

"Yeah, well..." Rune started, but then he put his hand to his head as his expression changed.

"What? Are you sure? You have found Assassin and his Master? What? They entered a bathhouse to take a bath? No, don't go after them! Wait for them to finish! You are sure its Assassin though, right? Alright alright, I get it! No need to shout!"

Rune then turned back to Inuzuka. "Inu-nii. Looks like we have an opportunity".

"It might be bait..."

"I doubt it. Maybe if it was Lancer I would believe it, but Assassin has too many specialties, and has too little defenses, to be bait. Besides, my Assassin seems very eager".

"Then why did you tell him not to go after him?"

"...they went into a bathhouse, duh".

"I didn't know you were the type to hold off an attack for something like that..."

"I'm not. But, there are normal people in that bathhouse. That is, unless you want to expose more then their naked bodies to the world".

"...I see...too many witnesses, people would learn of magic. We have to wait for them to come out".

"I am surprised you didn't think of that".

"Oh, I did. BUt I was surprised you realized that. Anyways, I roughly understand what should happen. Assassin will lie in wait nearby, keeping himself concealed and hidden from the two until they came out. Assassin will try to go and assassinate the master. However, it is likely the other Assassin will notice, and therefore intercept. He will then try to draw the attacker away to protect his master while also trying to kill your Assassin. At that instant, once they are far enough away, my Archer will proceed to attack with the final blow and eliminate the master".

"You really are okay with killing a kid, huh".

"He entered this fight of his own volition. And, to ensure my wish succeeds, I am willing to do whatever it takes...I have to..."

"What is your wish exactly?"

The man looked through his binoculars again, scouting out the area where the ambush would happen.

"The end of 'Evil'".

* * *

"Heyhey!" Toko said as he stood there, naked and with a red face, as Horus...or Sho-kun as he liked to be called instead of Assassin, stuffed their clothes into one of the bins in the changing rooms. "That...that was really mean!"

"Well, you were taking your sweet time, so I decided to help you. Besides, you were laughing, weren't you?"

"Because you were tickling me!" Toko shouted, when suddenly he got pushed against a wall while Sho placed his other hand on a wall next to it. Sho was actually unaware of the significance of this position though himself. Toko on the other hand, went red in the face. "Wh-wh-what are you..."

"Now, are you going to admit something to me, or do I have to pry it out of you?"

"Wh-wh-what are you..."

"Toko, why are you so timid in only about your body? When it looks so fantastic and wonderful? You are a really attractive boy, so why are you so embarrassed?"

"What do you..."

"Well, this is not how you normally act right? After all, if you need to have weekly physicals with Suzuki-neechan, you must be extremely active. I suppose she must be really concerned maybe..."

"Just...just shut up! Don't lie like that! This body is hideous...mmmhhhmhmhm?!"

(Oh Sho-kun. I cant tell who is being more of an idiot right now, you or Toko. You better learn some common sense cause I am not changing the rating of this (lol, had to throw in some humor there))

Suddenly, in the ultimate shocker, Sho kissed him. That said, it wasn't a kiss kiss. Rather, he was just powering up from his Master's magic circuits.

"Sorry. Its been awhile, so I thought I should refresh my magic. You were saying something? That said, your body is not hideous. Its very well made and kept, extremely attractive. Its the kind that would make my brother extremely jealous".

"Shut up! Let's just...lets get out of here! Give me my clothes".

"Nope. Still taking that bath" Sho said as he pulled him into the bathing area where they could rinse off and wash each other's backs. "Listen, you really should just stop. Both with that silly idea, and with hiding things from me. We need to have the ultimate bond of trust if we are going to win this. And your body is perfectly fine and wonderful. Just, what exactly did happen to give you that mentality? It cant be your abilities, I can tell they are top notch. You have great looks...just, who broke you?"

Sho was legitimately concerned. He could see the scuff marks on Toko's knees and elbows and such. He was clearly a child who was active. But for some reason, he was extremely shy about this one thing which was unusual for kids like that.

Eventually, the two entered the bath, where Sho continued to stare at Toko.

"Toko-kun. Among all the people I have seen so far, you are vastly superior to them in so many qualities. Its okay to be proud of yourself. Unless...could it be that its that factor that is the cause?"

The moment Sho said that, Toko's face turned to shock as he looked at Sho.

"How did..."

"I think this is what your president wanted to happen, before the fighting started. After all, its all because of my Noble Phantasm. You know, its going to be okay right?"

At that instant, Toko looked like he was about to cry...and then full on hugged Sho right there in the baths. Sho just patted his head.

"There there...its okay. After all, you are a fighter. If you weren't, you would not have joined the Greater Holy Grail War. Everything will be fine...so then, I guess your wish pertains to that?"

At those words, Toko leaned back a little and shook his head. He then leaned in closer, and whispered his wish into Sho's ear.

**And at that exact moment, everything changed for Sho. Those who had some ability to predict the future, felt the winds of fate shift suddenly and perhaps...even dangerously...**

Sho couldn't even hide the shock once he heard that wish. Toko leaned back, the idea of his wish putting a smile on his face that felt like it was somehow half innocent, and half mischevous.

"Pretty cool idea right?"

"Y-yeah..." Sho replied, still a bit in shock. He thought about what he just heard, over and over again, before deciding he needed to confirm it.

"That...that was your actual wish right? Not a joke?"

"No way" Toko said, the mere thought of his wish showing the courage and strength Sho knew he had. "I am one hundred percent serious. That is my wish".

Sho thought it over for a moment, and then smiled mischeviously as well.

"Alright then! I am in! I gotta say, out of all the wishes I had ever heard of and thought of, that by far is one of the most interesting! And to think you are serious about it! Alright Toko, my entire body, mind, and soul, are fully devoted to you!"

At those words, Toko seemed to switch back to being embarrassed.

"Wa-wait...what was I..."

And then Toko realized the situation in which they were hugging, and quickly pulled away.

Sho just shrugged. "Well, its progress. Anyways, lets finish soaking and then head out to check up on things".

With that said, the two finished up, dried off, and then got dressed.

"Next time though, we are soaking for longer. Also, I wanna try that thing where one has the coffee milk while still in the towel and see how it feels".

"...how do you already know about...its your Noble Phantasm, isn't it?"

The two then walked out of the bathhouse, and headed down the street.

"Yep, pretty much".

"Yeah, I gotta say. That Noble Phantasm seems really unfair".

The moment those two heard those words, Toko and Sho turned around to see a boy similar to Toko, only with red eyes instead of blue, charge right at Toko with two blades. But in the next instant, Toko was suddenly wielding two daggers as well and moved inbetween him and Toko, blocking him.

"Hello Horus!"

"Wait...do you know him?!"

"Of course he should!" the Assassin said, as Horus pushed him away from Toko and then moved right in the middle of them.

"Yeah...he is my brother, Set".

"Don't you think this is wonderful? We both got summoned as Assassins for the opposite teams! Now I have a chance to beat you and get my revenge!"

"What the hell? I won fair and square!"

"Oh, that is bullshit and you know it! You said those boats were supposed to be made of stone! I know you lied and cheated, and just painted a wooden boat the color of stone! Asshole!"

Horus did not seem to have a rebuke to that...and also looked a bit skittish.

"...you managed to tell a lie like that to your brother and still become a Heroic Spirit?"

"Trickery is perfectly okay for heroes to use! Besides, he was being an evil ass! I mean, not only did he try to kill me for years, he even tried to do way worse and weirder things!"

Toko suddenly took out his phone to look it up and...

""Don't you dare!""

"Huh? Wait, you are flustered about this? Wait, did you both just agree on this?"

"Some of those legends are incorrect, made up! I am who I am, and I dont want you getting any weird ideas that causes misperceptions!"

"Yeah, seriously! Not to mention some of it...you are too young to look at that!"

"...okay..."

The moment that was settled...Assassin of Red, Set, tried to attack Toko again, but Horus blocked him once more. He swung a dagger at Set, but he dodged and then kicked Horus in the stomach. Horus grabbed onto the leg though and did a spin flip to disable him, before kicking him right in the ass. Set however managed to cut one of Horus' arms with his dagger, but Horus was able to block the second dagger strike and kick Set away.

"Toko-kun! Get out of here! I will handle this!"

"You sure?"

"Yeah! You can handle yourself with the rest!"

"Okay!" Toko said, looking back that the situation. Although he felt timid and that he should run away, he also had the desire to fight and attack. And as he ran down the street, Archer of Red, a boy who was flying overhead with wings, high up in the sky, had two floating bows next to him.

"Ready Master!"

Inuzuka looked through at the angle.

"Kill him".

And thus, two arrows were fired from above right at Toko. Coming down from below, at high speeds, right at Toko...

* * *

**Afternote:**

And zing! Cliffhanger!

Well, dont worry. Cause I will be working on the next chapter now as well. I carved out a lot of time for myself today after all, and I have a tendency to rapidly release a few chapters at the begginning of a project. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!

But it makes you wonder...what is going to happen next?

And what are the truth that Horus says Toko is hiding?

Guess you will have to read next chapter to find out!


	3. Chapter 3: What Matters

Chapter 3: What Matters...

* * *

So here is an update from me, the author!

First off, once again just warning you, this wont be the normal pace for the series. So dont worry about me going too fast for you, or worry if I start to slow down. I just happen to be able to move at lot faster at the beginning.

Second, someone has made a Berserker of Red servant, but no master, and someone is also making a Lancer of Red servant with no master. So if anyone has ideas for masters, there is that. Also, Rider of Red is open.

Third, although ill dip into various things for humor and such, the fic will remain rated T. So, there will be teasing, embarrassing stuff, hillarious stuff, and nudity, but there will be a line. A line that allows for laughter, but still a line. lol

Fourth, a tip for all you Fate Fanfic Writers. It is very, very, very helpful to get inspiration and energy to write this by watching and rewatching Fate anime. Thank you Netflix for all your hard work.

* * *

Everyone seemed to just freeze in place when they saw what transpired in front of them. Everything just seemed to pause for a moment...as Toko caught the arrows fired at him.

And the moment that was seen, Archer of Red and his master went into full panic mode.

"Icarus! Get out of there now!"

"What the...what the hell was that?! Did he just catch magical arrows fired from a Servant?!"

Even Rune was ultimately dumbfounded by what he just saw. Of course, he was at a distance, so he only got the basics from a telepathic message from Assassin. He grabbed the binoculars to see and...

"What the...is that..."

Toko meanwhile looked towards Icarus, and remembered what Suzuki told him.

"If you get into trouble, don't be afraid. Just do what you can".

_Un. Alright, Suzu-nee. I will do waht I can about the Servant in the Sky...activating large scale Magic Reinforcement of entire body, utilizing Air Burst Magic Code, activating spell to cut through wind resistance...here I come!_

And then, Toko jumped...or more like launched...himself into the air, right where Archer was.

"What...you have got to be kidding me! This is unreasonable!"

And Rune and Inuzuka, who were watching this, were also dumbfounded.

"Inu-nii...please tell me you know something..."

"Actually...I do...but...no no! Thats not possible! For us to not even know that! But...its the only explanation damnit!"

"Umm...can you calm down and tell me?"

"How much do you know about Servants and the Holy Grails?"

"That they are powerful beings, heroes, divine spirits, sometimes phantoms and wraiths, that are summoned to fight for a Holy Grail War. Supposedly, you cant summon one without a Holy Grail War though..."

"I mean, dont we technically only summon copies of them, or into vessals prepared as well?"

"Yes. Well, naturally, there are people who decided to try and create their own..."

"No...no way...are you saying that boy is an artificial construct...an artificial person...a homunculus?!"

"I heard a rumor of one experiment, brutal even by Mage standards. Supposedly, they created hundreds of thousands of child sized homunculi. Child sized to save resources on producing the bodies, so they didn't have to deal with the hormones and such they prevented them from being able to grow also. And then...they started to break them. Physically. Mentally. Magically. They tortured them practically non stop, many of them died with each stage of training and development. Mages might be known for being cold hearted and ruthless, but this level was deemed sickening and horrific even by other mages, and its masterminds hunted down. Its believed the project was canceled, or that they all died, but...he is about the right age for the rumors..."

Toko began bursting and zipping around, as fire manifested in his hand and he launched multiple projectiles. Even though they both appeared as elementry school kids, the battle between them was nothing but epic. Toko was seriously coming at Archer, with enough force and power that it was clear that even with Archer's Magic Resistance, that would still be a painful attack to recieve. Plus, Toko had buffed all his physical abilities to levels Archer could not be sure about, so he had to avoid getting hit at all costs.

"No way...so then...that kid is..."

"Yeah. I am not sure how far the project went, but looking at him now...he got pretty far. He probably was dealt severe psychological damage in the process though".

"Cool..."

Inuzuka looked at Rune with a confused face.

"Cool?"

"Dude, think about it. He is going toe to toe with a Heroic Spirit right now. I bet, when he dies, he will actually become a Heroic Spirit summonable by the Holy Grail. We legitimately have seen a future Heroic Spirit in real life!"

Inuzuka looked over at the fight, and clicked his tongue.

"It also means they have another Heroic Spirit on their side basically, which means we are outnumbered. Instead of seven versus seven, its seven versus eight basically".

As they talked and considered, Set managed to get behind Horus, but Horus spun around with a kick and got him in the gut. But not before Set managed to slash his arm, though only with a light cut. And meanwhile, Toko launched a powerful lightning attack at Archer with the intention of knocking him out of the sky. Archer used a Noble Phantasm, Absolute Aegis, to defend against it, but even so it was strong enough to shake Archer.

"Yeah, but you forget who we have as our Sabre. Our Castor is also great, our Archer can fly, the Assassin I summoned is badass. Maybe they have the numerical advantage, but we have the backing of the Mage's Association. And once our territory is finished being created, we will kick their ass".

"Yeah yeah...I just dont like stuff like this" Inuzuka said. He had a carefully laid out plan to take out an enemy early on, but instead they just ended up learning it was Seven to Eight...well, Inuzuka was happy to learn this now at least, instead of later. "Alright, Archer, we are pulling out".

"Assassin, leave him alone for now. Their reinforcements should be appearing soon, so we can deal with them later".

And thus, in front of Toko and Horus, their opponents retreated and disappeared in front of their eyes.

* * *

"That is some bullshit" Terry Blood said, as he watched the screen that showed what just occurred. "Is that even fair?"

"Technically speaking, its not against the rules to fight yourself, or to become that strong. However, in this day and age, its an extremely rare occurance".

"However, it is not up for any of us to decide, but for Ruler to decide. The fact he has not stepped in yet means he must find it acceptable".

"Besides, we have a God as our Sabre. Right Mr. Blood?"

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Its up to me and the Big Guy. Speaking of which, do we have any ideas on what Servants the rest of them have?"

"So far, we dont have much info. Our remote observation is being blocked by heavy level Magecraft, so we cant see into the campus. However, we have noticed they have been importing objects, stonework, and metalry from other regions of Japan, England, America, Korea, and Black Market Artifact dealers. We also have heard reports the campus had its own museum, but the registry has been deleted and purged from the net. According to our tech experts, it was done rather...violently, for code anyways".

"So, they covered their tracks. That said, what do we classify the boy?"

"Look at the magic he is casting. I think he is a Castor class".

"But look at those physical abilities. And that tenacity. And those eyes, even if he maintained sanity...thats a Berserker's stare".

"Well, someone is capable of being categorized in multiple areas. However, if you noticed his eyesight and accuracy...I think he qualifies for Castor, Berserker, Archer...and Assassin. The fact is, until he attacked, no one had any clue about this kid's real strength. What of the scout team?"

"Inuzuka Takashi reports he believes he may be a survivor of that rumored project, the one that tried to create real living Age of Heroes class warriors and mages that would have the strength to contend with Heroic Spirits".

At those words, the Mages Association went silent.

"...HeroBurst".

"...to think that project would end up being a part of this..."

"I think Berserker might be the best classification after all. Supposedly, all those creations...those kids...were mentally broken several times over".

"Yes. They used some of the homunculi created during the first Greater Holy Grail War to reverse engineer the formula that created that one specimen, Sieg. The one who was able to develop a sense of self...independence...strength and emotion".

"Toketa Advanced School...how terrifying they have that power".

"Indeed" a big military looking man said, as he put his feet. "And, they are not the kids we thought there were, but have the ability to use that power".

"What are you getting at, Harrison?"

"Look at the patrol paterns the scout team noted. Thats not childs play, nor is it basic. Their positioning, patrol paterns. They seem random, but that only makes it difficult to predict and use to our advantage. However, if you watch them all, its clear they are coordinated. Minimum four man cells, with an occasional fifth every so often. And thats just what we can see...speaking of which, did none of you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"The battle between that boy and Archer, not a single report was made by the general public".

At those words, a commotion was raised. All this time, they had been worried a bunch of kids gaining power from the Greater Grail would expose magic. However, in a battle that should have caused some issues, somehow no one reported it.

"Dr. Warrens, tell me. What did our sensors pick up?"

"The golems we deployed, the ones that didn't get near the school and suddenly cut off and crash, registered a strange reading. The moment the boy engaged Archer of Red, some sort of field with a basis in what we believe is perception manipulation, also known as illusion, magic was formed. From what we have gathered, it appears that Toketa Students can activate the field whenever they wish, and we believe it prevents normal people from being able to percieve magic, and possibly even avoid the area in general".

"In other words, they can keep it off, make us play cautious and secretive, but whenever they want to attack, they can turn it on and ambush us?"

"...yes. In other words, they have a clear advantage".

"They have numbers, terrain, and the Grail. And we made the blunder of not giving them sufficient enough respect as enemies, they will have already made progress to have their Castor create their territory".

"Our Sabre is strong, but without knowing the other's strengths, we cannot sufficiently launch a good assault with all our strength...however, there may be a way to force their hand. If we send in our Berserker, make it look like he went off on a rampage...maybe we can have him lure out some of the others to fight. We will have the Master stay back, and let Berserker itself rampage".

"Fine by me" Terry replied, as he looked back at the images and data they had on Toketa. "The power of the Greater Grail...if we dont take it soon, it will start to harm and warp those kids for sure. Its not something that should remain in the world for too long a time...Marco! Castor!"

Suddenly, a ten year old boy entered the room, along with a very old man. On the boy's right hand were three Command Spells, and the man seemed to have a spark in his eyes. He was decked out in clothes and belongings that made him look rich, while the boy seemed eager yet innocent. He was Marco Galeazzo, from the famously rich Galeazzo family that was known for having their own banks and operating them. His mother on the other hand was a mage. As for the reason the Mage's Association supported him joining the Grail War, part of it was profit and business as he could provide them with more ways to manage and move around money when he grew up, and also because his wish would not cause issues for the Mages Association.

Because of that, although Terry Blood was someone who they deeply supported, especially as the Master of Sabre of Red, they did not make it so he was the only one they were betting on. As for Rune, he seemed safe enough. There was some weariness given the lack of information on him, but he seemed stable enough to be okay. After all, the Mages Association would feel very uncomfortable if someone made a wish that would cause all sorts of chaos and trouble.

"Yessiirrry?"

"Yes, Commander Blood?"

"How goes your own Territory Creation?"

"It is proceeding well. Do you have another task for us?"

"Yes. We are going to let Berserker rampage without his Master around to cause chaos and draw out Servants of Black. I want you to provide long range assistance with Magecraft, and when needed, transfer Berserker into your territory. We cant risk losing a servant so early in the game".

"Understood. Come now, Marco. Lessons can wait for later".

"Alright! Woo hoo! Lets play and have some fun!" Marco called out, acting as if it was all just a game.

"Now, I wonder who will appear this time?" Terry said as he wondered. There was no way a commander who had shown all this ability would send an Assassin to fight a Berserker, and a Castor would not be much help either. No, it was through this he hoped to see their Sabre. The trump card of any Grail War, Greater or normal. Sabre, considered to be the strongest of all classes, the Apex Warrior. That was who Terry wanted to see take the stage.

* * *

"...and so, that was everything that happened, and everything we learned".

Suzuki nodded at the words spoken by Toko and Sho. There were various other students there who had learned Magecraft, but not proficiently enough to take a spot away from the seven who summoned Servants.

Of course, a few Masters and Servants were also there, including Ren Nakamura, Lancer of Black's Master, and another teacher by the name of Lobo Sanchez, Master of Berserker of Black.

And as for who first spoke after that, it was not Suzuki, but Ren.

"And so, your Assassin there managed to completely fend off Assassin of Red, and also somehow managed to prevent you from taking damage by Archer of Red?"

"Well, it helped that we were able to identify Assassin of Red so quickly" Toko said, a bit nervous. "As for Archer, I am afraid I have no clue".

"A boy who flies...I will have to check the Ancestral Archive then. However, this is enough for the meeting right now. Everyone except for Toko and his servant, please leave".

A lot of people whistled and wooed as they heard that, but everyone respected the wishes of Commander Subaru, and left the room. At first, it might have seemed like a large meeting room, but because they figured that would be the first place the enemy would try to spy on, she instead put heavy concealment and security enchantments on the dorms. And as for whose room they were in, of course it was Suzuki's.

"Sorry about Ren. I am a bit concerned she is close to figuring it out, or figuring something out..." Suzuki said, as she bent down and got eye level with Toko. "Now, do you mind helping out?"

At first, Horus was confused. Not at the fact that Suzuki was getting Toko naked, but that he seemed a bit more willing with Suzuki. Well, willing was not the right word, but still...and then, it finally hit him.

"Wait, does she know that..."

"He is a homunculus? Yes. I am the one who looks after him. Its why I give him weekly physicals like this" she said as Toko now stood there naked. Not leaving his master hanging, Horus had disappeared his clothes and was naked with him. That said, Toko still looked very much embarrassed. "Furthermore, he was designed with a heavy resistance to magic. Instead of using normal scanning techniques, I have to personally touch various points of his body directly and spread my mana through his magic circuits to confirm he is okay, while visually making sure on the outside that it is properly connecting to all the magic circuits. Although his magic circuits actually seem really strong and sturdy, I cant help but notice seeing signs of them being broken and rebuilt over and over, so I have to do this slowly and carefully. I suspect, all of this was made so his body would be even stronger against magic attacks, and so that he would be able to cast extremely powerful magic with ease".

"Then, have you told him to stop being an idiot? He seems to think his body is hideous or something".

"But...but..."

At those words, Suzuki looked displeased and hit his butt.

"Horus is right. You are a moron. Now hold still, I need to make sure you are still okay".

With that done, she began to place her hand on various points on his body and used his magic circuits to investigate its state.

"What are you doing that for?"

"Well, he might have been built for battle, but in all honestly, we don't know the specifics of how he was created" she said as she felt around his body. "Because of that, what we do is Toko practices and learns his capabilities, and then I examine him like this to learn of any changes and shifts that might prove important or dangerous in his body. You see, his body was completed technically, but it was not optimized, so if I dont perform regular check ups and maintenence, it could be bad. Of course, by now I probably dont actually have to do it for awhile, but the longer we keep up this schedule, the easier life will be for him in the long run".

"Oh, I see...so its like safety checks. Sort of. Not really. Basically, it is both necessary and not necessary, and helps with peace of mind and likely extending Toko's life, or quality of life, or something like that".

"Exactly. As an Artificial Being, normally Toko's lifespan would be over by now. But I took him in and have made sure he gets the care and comfort he deserves".

And then suddenly, Suzuki pulled Toko into a full on hug. But due to their differences in height, his head went somewhere else physically. This caused Sabre to become a bit shocked and concened, Horus to give him a thumbs up, and Toko...

"Mmmmhhmmhmmhmhm!"

"Uhhh...please release my master before he suffocates".

"Oh...sorry Toko. That said..."

She then hit him several more times.

"Stop talking down to yourself!"

"So, who else in the school knows?"

She proceeded to examine his legs next as they spoke.

"No one. Outside of this room, no one knows what Toko really is. Its been hard, after all he has been here for two years and showed no sign of growth, but with what we want to wish for using the Greater Holy Grail, it wont matter soon enough".

"That is not what I meant" Horus replied. Even though he was also naked right now, something about him made Suzuki understand this was a serious and critical moment. "I meant, how many people know you knew Magecraft before everyone else?"

That was the important question. If she brought Toko to this school, that meant she knew about Magecraft for a lot longer then everyone else, that she had Magecraft for longer then everyone else.

"YOu really are an observant one. Makes me wonder why you let Assassin and Archer get so close..."

"Wait, you knew?! Then, when you did that..."

Suddenly, Toko's face turned red when he remembered the kiss. In truth, that had been Assassin powering up because he knew they were nearby.

"Speaking of which though, I should change into something easier to move in" Suzuki said, as she finished up examining Toko's arms. She then immediately on the spot began to get undressed right in front of them. "Toko, tonight you will be sleeping with me in my room. No complaints or exceptions. Today was the first time you fought a Heroic Spirit, so I need to have you under long term observation. You know where I keep the remote to my TV and my game consoles, so you should be fine here. Oh, and put your clothes in the laundry machine. I will run it tonight".

The thing about Suzuki was that she truly did see Toko as a little brother, and as such she held no issue doing any of this, from chaning in front of him, to sharing a bed with him no matter the circumstances or situation. Although, she did love to see his embarrassed face, among his other expressions, and she did have concerns about what all that power he held could do to his body. Although he should be fine on his own, she insisted on doing weekly maintenence checks, plus another examination if he really pushes himself. She was probably just being an over protective older sister, but still...

As she started to put on sweats, Toko started to get concerned now.

"Hold on, those are...are you planning on going into battle?!"

"Do not worry, Toko-kun. I shall be going into battle for her. She is just coming to watch and command as the Commander".

"Then, give me my clothes and I will..."

"No. You already fought today Toko. And as a result, they learned of your strength which we are keeping hidden even from the others. They know you are a powerful magus, so nothing the enemy says should seem too strange, but still. Besides, they will likely send someone who Assassin would be weak against, probably Berserker...and there is no guarentees you can survive a fight against Berserker. So you will sit your ass here, use my private bathroom if you need to, but this is something you cannot handle".

"...fine. Just...be safe..."

And so, Commander Subaru was picked up by Sabre of Black, and taken towards the battlefield.

And in that moment, Horus tackled Toko to the ground.

"Come on, lets wrestle and see who is stronger!"

"Wh-what?! But...but..we are..."

"And if I pin you down, I get to kiss you whenever I want!"

"No way!"

That ruskus started with Toko getting very red in the face.

And once they were out of Toko's earshot, she connected with the rest of the forces.

"Mika, Archer, tell me what is happening".

"We have confirmed the presence of Berserker, but for some reason he seems to be shielded by magic. We suspect Castor".

"Any sign of their Masters?"

"None".

"What does Berserker look like?"

"Like a charging, crazed, psychotic humanoid charcoal! That is spewing fire!"

Suzuki was not really thrilled when she heard that.

"Mika, can you douse him with water magic?"

"Y-yes! Leave it to me, Suzuki-sempai!"

"Listen, I have decided how we will fight this! We are leaving Assassin and Toko out so they can recover. Castor is also out, we have no need to expose him or interrupt his work at this stage. I dont want to use Berserker either and waste the command seals we may need to keep it in line. Therefore, this is what will happen. Archer will spot us and give us tactical info. Mika-chan will provide water magic support since it should be weak to water and therefore help keep it distracted. I also dont want Lancer in play since it was a Double Summon as a Berserker as well! However, they almost certainly want me and Sabre to take the stage and reveal ourselves...so, Rider, its on you! If it becomes necessary I will have Sabre back you up, but for now, we wont reveal our hand so easily!"

""""Understood!"""" everyone shouted in response.

"I guess its my time to shine then" Malcom Lee said, with a bit of an enthusiastic smile. "Finally, instead of people telling me not to cause trouble, they are letting me. Lets go beat that Berserker, Rider. Traps are all already in place, so focus on avoiding his attacks. Archer is going to support from concealment, along with Mika-chan, so lets do our best!"

"Naturally. That said, I detest taking pleasure in such things" Rider told him, looking as stern and stoic as ever.

"Haaa...we really are incompatible. Well, whatever. Lets do this!"

And so, Rider charged right towards Berserker.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Alright, I feel my stomach starting to complain, and I probably should take a break for the rest of the night. Still, with this the story has gotten off to a good start! Hope you enjoyed! And poor Toko. He needs comfort and compassion given what he has been through... .

That said, I am curious on what everyone thinks so far, about their own OCs, about others OCs, about my OCs, and about some of the people, things (such as HeroBurst), and such I have introduced!


	4. Chapter 4: Passionate Fire

Chapter 4: Passionate Fire

* * *

AN (Author's Note): So, in response to some things mentioned...yeah, Kai, I kinda realized that a bit into it. Although granted, its all of your choices to read the reviews regarding what people submitted, but the reason I was thinking of at the time was that I was worried about the chances of some people sending in several submissions at once for the same role.

Also, on that first note, that seems silly. Why ask for people to submit OCs and then not use them? I plan to see this Greater Grail War to its conclusion, whatever that may be. Who will claim the Holy Grail? What is Toko's wish? Who is Sabre of Red? I guess you will need to keep reading to find out!

* * *

Present Time:

"What the hell is going on in the forest?! Why cant I reach command?!" Rune asked Dr. Warren, running up to him at the designated hillside camp. Meanwhile, as Rune looked around, he spotted three battles alone going on during the dark and stormy night. First was his own servant, Set, facing off against the enemy Assassin, Horus. And then of course, on a projected screen, they could see the fight between Sabre of Black and Sabre of Red.

However, there was also a third battle taking place in the forest, far from the Sabres, which he had no information or visual on.

"What has happened?!"

Dr. Warren just shook his head.

"That...demon...killed all of the support staff in the Red Faction Command Room. It slaughtered them all! You need to get to him, and kill him!"

"You serious?"

"Yes! Its bad enough that we have to absolutely make sure that boy, Toko, does not achieve his wish, but now this...this has gone too far!"

"This isn't another one of your tricks right?"

"Of course not. While I do live only to serve Master Blood, I would never hinder his allies either. Certainly not in this situation!"

Although it seemed relatively peaceful, the tension between the two was easily felt.

"I swear, I liked it better when it was just as simple as one side versus another..."

* * *

Past Time:

"So, Master...I was kind of curious. Why are you so dead set on being in this Grail War?" Archer asked Mikaela Belmont, his master, right before Rider would reach Berserker of Red.

"...its for family".

"Huh. I suppose that fits someone like you".

"Someone like me?"

"Yeah. You just..."

The conversation was suddenly cut short however, as the sounds of combat began.

"Archer! Its time to support Rider! Just remember, the concealment spell has only been placed on this spot, so we cant move or do anything that would give us away!"

"Gotcha, Sheriff" the boy said, as he took out two pistols. "I might not be able to fly, but I will show I aint inferior to Archer of Red".

And while he said that, Mika channeled her magic circuits into Water Magic, and began to attack the Berserker using the various water sources in and near the forest, never once attacking from her own position. Meanwhile, the moment before their Rider was about to strike, Archer fired several shots into the face, or at least what he believed to be the face, of Berserker to slow him down, if headshots did not outright kill him.

They did not. Berserkers are crazy tough.

"What do you think? You think we will be able to take him down on our own, or will we have to call in others, use Command Spells, or reveal our Noble Phantasms?"

"Well...from what I have learned, Berserker is tough, and it looks like...it looks like he has had several Mad Enhancements done on him..."

"I agree. And unfortunately, that charcoal coating makings it hard to learn who or what he is. Maybe...someone who was burned at the stake?"

"You are quite knowledgeable, Archer".

"Well despite the looks, I did get a proper education".

At that remark, he noticed that Mika seemed to smile. At the same time, Rider cut through some of Berserker's leg muscle, but it began to regenerate almost immediately.

"There we go. Now I feel fired up".

"Huh?"

"Sorry, but up until now, I really have not been able to feel that motivated. Even if you seemed polite, kind, and happy...it always seemed fake. Like you were lonely. Even towards our Commander...but now that I have seen a cute girl like you have a genuine smile on your face, I feel like I can finally fight full force! After all, even outlaws need something to fight for!"

He then aimed both of his pistols in a more refined and controlled position, and built up mana in them.

"And I reckon in this concealed position, I should be able to pull of my Noble Phantasm at least once without them locating and identifying us! Noble Phantasm: Thunderer!"

ANd then at that point, three shots seemed to ring out of nowhere and strike Berserker at vital points.

And at the same time, Rider took this opportunity to go in close to Berserker and unleash multiple attacks at once. Berserker is hard to get close to, but he also wanted to restrict its movements, so Rider continued a strategy of slicing at close range, pulling back, and then utilizing a bow. Even though he was a Rider, he had the ability to use bows and swords, and even possessed a great tactical mind.

He was trying to prevent Berserker from moving in any direction, to keep him contained as Archer and his Master hit him from afar. Rider also noticed that Archer decided to use his Noble Phantasm, but understood why. It seemed he figured he could at least use it once without revealing himself or his location, or his identity.

And because of that, it was bothering him. From the headshots from before, to the fact he withstood that Noble Phantasm and only took some damage, to the fact that even sword attacks seemed ineffective. This was a Berserker, who clearly had used Mad Enhancement way too much, but...their weapons were barely doing anything.

And because of that, Berserker started moving forward towards the school...until the ground he put his foot down on exploded.

"Archer, it looks like he has started to go into the trap filled area".

"Yes, we wanted to see if we could keep that a secret too, but...hold on..."

That was when he saw it. The explosion, the flames...it had managed to do serious damage to the leg, at least considering it was a Master and not a Servant who delivered the blow...

"Wait, no...could it be he has some sort of extra physical resistance? Master used a Flame Magic Rune Trap...wait no, now that I think about it, my arrows were having a good effect...then..."

"I have heard everything" Suzuki told them all telepathicly. "Rider, I believe you are correct. While magical fire was effective, so were your arrows. I have been watching the whole time, so I can say that with certainty. The only attacks that were low in effect were bullets, and your swords. In other words, I believe him to have some form of protection against metal".

Rider was not one hundred percent sure himself, but Suzuki seemed sure of it. It seemed she had been working on the same conclusion.

"Wait, then...aren't most weapons made of metal?"

"Indeed. Which means, they either wanted us to go with pure power, and reveal our Sabre, or...reveal our Castor. We cant do either of that though. Without knowing either of those, it will hinder their future plans. As much as we want to go into battle ourselves, we cant risk losing the Grail".

"I see...yeah. Especially when Castor finishes his Grand Project".

"Alright then...Rider, do it".

"FIne then. Activate Noble Phantasm: Geobukseon!"

And with that, Rider activated his Noble Phantasm, and a ship appeared flying in the sky. It proceeded to unleash a huge volley of cannonballs and arrows into Berserker, except the moment the cannonballs made impact, they exploded, and the arrows were doused in fire to incinerate it. However, that was only to distract it...as it rammed right into the Berserker with full force while releasing poison gas.

Berserker went to counter and stop it though, but as it raised it hands to do so, blades of water came out, several times compressed to the point of ridiculousness and went at Berserker with full force.

"Report, Rider" Suzuki said.

"Fire is also having no effect, as expected. But even so, its vision was obscured enough from the smoke, in combination of being hit by the ship, for Archer's Master to finish a Multi-Compressed Water Blade...and..."

As Berserker stumbled back, its hands fell to the ground. It already started to regenerate, but it was continuously being rammed into the ground by the ship, being scrapped across dirt and rock. The magic shields that had been protecting it had long since run out of power, and the poison gas was weakening its abilities further.

And that was when it seemed to be covered in a bright flash of light, and dissappeared from sight.

"It retreated?!"

"It was likely pulled away by a Command Spell, or a Castor perhaps. However, the amount of magic that was used...that should keep it busy for some time at least. No way it could retreat from a fight like that normally. Either way, we are victorious, and we have learned about Berserker. Rider was forced to use his Noble Phantasm, but it couldn't be helped. Next time however...they probably wont give us a choice..."

"Indeed. Next time, it wont just be one or two servants. It will be a Strike Force, aimed at one of us".

"Then lets head back and get some rest".

* * *

"Well now, a giant ship huh? How troublesome".

Dr. Warren stated that as he looked over all the data they had collected.

"Their Archer used some form of powerful attack, likely an Anti-Personal Noble Phantasm, but we were unable to collect data on it as he fired from a point of concealment. Furthermore, the flying ship that released cannon attacks, arrow attacks, and possessed both poison gas and a ramming ability that caused damage to Berserker is likely an Anti-Army. A rather effective weapon, but not unbeatable".

"However..." Terry Blood started, causing the rest to go silent. "We did not achieve the primary goal of learning about their Sabre. Dr. Warren, bring up the images from the remote spy Golems".

Suddenly, images were projected in front of everyone, showing a blonde haired woman, and a shimmer next to her. "We believe the shimmer is Sabre, who they likely shielded in magic to prevent identification. Thus, we know nothing about the Servant. But that Master...she may explain why the homunculus is there. After all, there was one scientist involved in that HeroBurst project that we were never able to identify...a blonde haired man..."

A projection of a rough image of that man was put next to her.

"Its rough, but there are certainly similarities..."

"So then, she is his daughter most likely?"

"Yes. If so, it would explain a lot. From the reports we got, the project was never completed. So someone with knowledge of maintenance would have to be there to maintain its body and finish the process. Most likely, Assassin's Master was brought to that place by her. We cant be certain for sure, but given that, it seems likely she may be the Mastermind behind the Greater Holy Grail War, and the one in control of the homunculus".

"If so, she essentially is in command of three Servants. The boy, Sabre, and Assassin. A terrifyingly powerful force for sure".

"Given her position on the battlefield, and what we observed, she is also likely the Commander of the Black Faction".

"In other words...she has everyone dancing in the palm of her hands, provided our information is correct".

"So, we finally know the face of the enemy we need to target next..."

"About the boy though, we actually have a current working theory. We didn't see any sign of him, which would make sense since he was probably using that time to replenish his mana, but...its about the way he caught the arrows".

"About the way he caught them?"

"Initially, we thought it was an indication of his power that he could catch them, but to catch an arrow of an Archer Class servant should not be so easy...so what if it wasn't?"

"What are you getting at?"

"What if he caught the arrows only on reflex, but the power actually hurt him? He had fire manifest in his hands for sure, but he didn't actually demonstrate much attack power other then magic. He was zooming around for sure, using his legs, but he didn't physically attack Archer despite the fact he should have known about Archer's Magic Resistance".

"So in other words, it was not that Archer was evading him, but rather he couldn't physically strike with his hands?"

"Yes. After all, the idea of catching a projectile fired from an Archer and not taking damage is absurd. Some damage should have been dealt for sure".

"That said, we dont actually know for certain, but we think its extremely likely".

* * *

A river of blood...

A sea of corpses...

A madman in glasses...

Clashing Mana of Masters...

Those images flashed through Horus' head as he suddenly awoke. Normally, Servants dont really need to sleep, but Horus finds that his Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, works even better if he sleeps, and it makes it so he uses less mana to exist, not that his Master had any lack of it though. However...the situation he woke up in was interesting.

Sleeping next to him was Toko, and next to him was Suzuki, all three of them were naked. Toko fussed and complained, until Suzuki essentially forcibly convinced him to comply. It seemed she was rather protective of Toko, and wanted to keep him close.

Horus was not sure how he should feel about it though, because it felt like his Master had a Master in a way. However, he remembered the light in Toko's eyes, and his wish, and it helped settle those feelings. Even if he was loyal and in debt to Suzuki, he fully planned to win the power of the Grail.

However, what he was really worried about also was the vision he just had. His Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, allowed him extremely enhansed sensory abilities, general predictive abilities, allowed him to see around walls, through concealment, and such. But also, it occasionally allowed glimpses into the future, the past, and potentialities. It could be cryptic most of the time, but it was still useful.

Still, the sea of corpses was kind of concerning to him. Generally speaking, a vision about that stuff never ended well.

"Mmmhhhmmmm...what the...where am I..."

"Naked in a girls room being cuddled by Suzuki".

Horus bluntly answered that question, causing Toko to get very red. However, Suzuki had fully engulfed him and he had no means of escape.

He certainly could not risk hurting Suzuki while Sabre was there, staring at all of them.

"Good morning everyone" Suzuki said with a yawn. "Feeling better Toko?"

Toko's reddened face certainly suggested otherwise. "N-no!"

"Really, not even your hands? You didn't really think that I wouldn't have noticed last night right?"

Horus ended up getting out of the bed, leaving Toko with Suzu while he put his hands behind his head. "Like I said, moron!"

However, when he looked back, he did give a bit of a look at Suzuki.

"That said, while I understand what you both truly feel and think, if you tease him too much, I may have to get revenge".

Suzuki tightened her hug on Toko and squeezed him even closer.

"He was mine before you came along".

"Save me!"

"Well, just wanted to make sure I got the message across" Horus replied, before looking at Sabre. "Come on, lets talk a bit, servant to servant".

Sabre looked back at the two of them, shrugged, and then ended up stepping out of the room and onto the balcony, as the morning sun covered the entire school campus. The two gazed at the sunrise for a bit, and Horus even managed to smile.

It was Sabre who started the conversation though.

"You know she was just messing with him, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Its pretty obvious she just considers him to be a little brother, not an object of affection. However, I cant just tolerate my master getting teased without some form of revenge. Nothing hostile of course, maybe just filling all of her dresser drawers with cream cheese or something..."

"...to a woman, that is pretty hostile..."

"I suppose that you would know".

Sabre seemed surprised.

"I have had my helmet on the whole time..."

"Not the whole time. And you forget, my Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus, is an information gathering type...even information I dont mean to gather".

At those words, Horus suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and an invisible sword touch the nape of his neck. His entire body shivered a little, and it wasnt from being exposed to the morning air.

"That extra weight is from the heavy armor, understood?"

"What extra weight?"

"Good answer".

As the sword drew away, Horus sighed with relief.

And then he felt it return.

"...and you tell no one about any of those numbers, understood?"

"...yes ma'am..."

And then, he was finally out of trouble he somehow got himself into.

"Anyways, you probably should put something on..."

"This is home though, so its fine right? Besides, this is partly because I am depicted this way, so I guess it made me okay with it. Though...I am glad some things did not appear as depicted".

"You mean, like the bird head?"

"Yes. Especially the bird head. I swear, one time, I transformed one time, and suddenly everyone thinks I have a bird head!"

"Indeed. Mis-information seems to plague a lot of history".

"Yeah. Pretty sure you were male in your legend".

"YOu know my true identity?"

"Like I said, my Noble Phantasm".

"I see...Concealment doesn't work on you".

"Me or my friend Iris here" he said as he held out his arm, and a falcon came down and perched on it. "I can easily identify your sword. But I must admit, the real trick that you came up with...that was clever. BUt yes, I have seen past that as well, Sabre of Black".

"The hell...do you mean..."

"Yeah" Horus said, as he looked back to Iris. "And according to Iris, who I sent scouting last night, it seems another attack will be coming soon".

"I see...then, I will use it with full force then".

"Indeed. And don't worry. I will be there for support. After all, my Master's wish is on the line".

"I wonder what Suzuki's wish is though..."

"YOu haven't asked her yet?"

"She is always so busy, I have not had the time".

"Well, if its anything like Toko's wish, it will be damn interesting. The kid really though his wish out well, including the consequences of it. He has planned everything down to a T".

Sabre looked at HOrus for a moment with a face of disbelief.

"Is it truly that incredible? Didn't you warn him though?"

"You mean, about the fate of people who wish like that? I dont want to ruin his happiness. You know what he has been through...he deserves to be happy for as long as he can".

"I see...so you understand the likely outcome then..."

"I understand there are fourteen sides in truth to this Grail War. That our percentage of winning is actually quite low if we put it in one perspective. But...I also understand that if its one of us, or our masters, that make the wish...I will be content. So, Sabre...for them, we must win this Grail War".

"Yes, I agree. For them, we must win...we must succeed".

"And then, maybe you can stop acting and be happy as well" Horus mentioned, before looking at the sun. "Also, when I sleep, my Noble Phantasm lets me have visions, of things in the past and future".

"Wait, what are you suddenly saying..."

"Sabre. I saw a vision...of a river of blood, and a sea of corpses...and two Masters clashing, though I did not understand which two they were. But there was also a madman in glasses. He might have had blonde or white hair or something like that...but, I think its a warning...and if its of the future..."

"Say no more. We cannot allow civilians to get involved in this Grail War".

"Good answer. Now, last time I checked, our Masters still had school and work to do, so I will get them out of bed this time" Horus mentioned, as he went back inside.

* * *

**AN:** Well, that was fun! We got to see another member of the Black Faction be a badass, and we got to see Berserker of Red (who still needs a master) be a badass. That said, I think I am probably going to fill the remaining positions myself if no one submits anyone else soon.

That said...stay tuned, as it appears we will finally get to see a Sabre fight in the next few chapters! One of the things we all love to watch! Anyways, just keep a watch out, because the further we get into this, the more action we will probably see!

Oh, and also, here is a pseudo-poll. What do you all think Toko's wish is?


	5. Chapter 5: School and Training

Chapter 5: School and Training

* * *

The poll is still on, but let me clarify this now. Toko's wish is not to lose his powers, or turn into a normal human. Think about Horus' response when it was whispered to him. Horus would have found both those solutions boring, but what Toko told him had the exact opposite effect.

* * *

"Maaaaan...its been awhile since she has been overprotective and overcaring like that" Toko sighed as he walked down the halls of the school.

Meanwhile, Horus was walking right next to him, also now wearing a school uniform. For boys, it was shorts, a blaiser, and a white shirt, as well as indoor shoes. The only thing that Horus did not have were the shoes, going barefoot. Toko was somehow able to convince him to wear the rest, but he pointed out shoes were only invented to protect the feet, and were unneeded for Heroic Spirits. He even quite litterally said "If I was able to be harmed by pebbles, I wouldn't be much of a heroic spirit".

And of course, no one even noticed because Horus manipulated his Pressence Concealment to prevent that. The only ones who would were other Masters, and those with exceptional Magecraft abilities.

"I am amazed you realized this. From your reactions, I was sure you thought she was trying something with you".

And Horus immediately got Toko to be embarrassed again.

"No way! Its just...she just really like to embarrass me! How can you think that!"

"...you are really complicated. After all, you can get embarrassed so easily like that, but dont you share a locker room with the rest of the soccer club?"

"That is different!"

"Speaking of different...why are you still going to class and school?"

Horus had been curious about this for awhile now, but everyone was still going to class and school like it was normal.

"Well, we still need to learn right? Its not a holiday after all".

"No no no, isn't this entire school involved in the Holy Grail War?"

"Yeah. BUt we are still students, so we still need to learn".

"I would think a Holy Grail War counts as a holiday!"

"Nope! We cant fall behind in our studies after all, or else rival academies might overtake us! We are proudly in the first place position for our region, and we are close to being first place in all of Japan!"

Horus...Horus was taken aback by what was being said right now.

"You all...you are all fighting over a treasure like the Holy Grail...and you are still participating in your normal daily lives? Thats...kind of amazing...kids these days are amazing".

"You betcha! We are number one! We are number one! Oh, this is my classroom!"

Toko then entered a classroom, and went over to his desk. Horus meanwhile...he had no idea where he should sit. Maybe on the floor? Should he get a desk for himself?

"Come on Sho-kun! There is a desk next to me that is open!"

Desk it was!

* * *

And while that was going on, Archer of Black was in the back of the school. There was an archery club, and therefore an Archery club training ground which he was using to try and shoot even faster, without loosing accuracy.

"Well now, someone seems busy. Not going to class with your Master?"

"If she needs me, she can call" Archer replied, looking at his progress and not at the one who appeared, Castor of Black. "Shouldn't you be busy working on your territory and item creation?"

"I am, but everyone needs a break. Furthermore, I have solidified the entire school as a territory, and have started on the city. And of course, the Grand Project is proceeding well also".

"So, why are you here?"

That was when Castor, who appeared as a rather swazzy businessman. He raised a hunting rifle, and fired, only instead of a bullet it produced a highly concentrated and condensed magic projectile that tore right through the archery target, through the back wall, and out into hte ocean.

"You shouldn't do that. You might hit a student".

"YOu are not doing much differently".

"Its not the guns that are really the Noble Phantasm, its how I shoot them".

"Hmmm...maybe I should make you a pair of guns then. Would boost your power as an Archer".

"Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice everyone is wearing the new school uniforms you made".

"Same design, but the materials are extremely durable, and wont get destroyed even by most Noble Phantasms. And for the Masters, theirs are even stronger".

"Good. Glad to hear it".

As Archer focused back on the target...

"You are Billy the Kid, right?"

He got distracted again.

"So you figured it out, huh?"

"Not that difficult. YOung appearance, clearly an outlaw type. AMazed you were summoned as a normal Archer Class servant, and not a Gunner".

"There was an option for that?"

"Well, anyways...you do seem rather close with your Master. Is the big bad outlaw actually soft?"

"Haha. Mock me all you wnat, but last time I checked, even outlaws have hearts".

His response caught Castor off guard.

"That was unexpected. I thought you would take the tsundere route for sure".

"Nah. The truth is, Mika-chan is an amazing mage. Well, in a way, all the students here are. Instead of turning to sacrificing animals, or each other, they are investigating alternative means to generate mana and magic. And Mika-chan...did you know she thought of a way to power various powerful magic tools and artifacts, not through blood sacrifice or souls, but she designed a hydro-mana plant? And her magecraft...even if she specializes in the water element, she has amazing potential. She managed to focus her spell several times over, fold in on itself, and then used it to damage Berserker. Its no wonder she was selected as a Master".

"Even more unexpected. Billy the Kid, honestly praising people on their academic work?"

"Hey, in my day and age, outlaws were not all idiots and throatslitters. Some of us sorta fell into it naturally, and we were able to operate well in it. I wont deny I can kill people, but I also have a heart. And class".

"I see. My apologies, Billy. You are far a greater person then I thought. It really is a shame though..."

Castor slung his rifle across his back, and began to walk away.

"You know that people like you tend to end up getting killed, though at least doing something honorable and worth it".

Castor stepped out of the range, leaving Billy with that thought.

"...well, I have no intention of just letting that happen either, Castor".

* * *

Ren was practically fuming, although it did not look like it. Not because she was disrespected, not because someone didn't notice her when she spoke. Nothing like that even happened.

No, she was fuming because there was exactly two more people sitting with Suzuki Subaru then there were sitting with her.

Of course, no one noticed, because she was only fuming on the inside. On the outside, she looked kind, charismatic, and wonderful.

_"Just wait, Suzuki...I will become Student Council President. I will become the most powerful wielder of a Servant. I will have everything..."_

Yes, Ren considered herself to be Suzuki's rival. At least to some degree. In truth, she did enjoy discussions with the current Student Council President for her intelect, as she was one of the few people who could keep up with, and although Ren would never admit it, surpass her.

And then, the usual scene at school happens as a certain boy walked right into the cafeteria.

"Toko! Sit next to me he-"

"Nope! I am sitting with my friends and classmates today!"

"Awwww".

Yep. Ren had calculated the odds. There was a 60% chance Toko would casually dismiss her, though she was sure they both saw it done in a playful manner, and go to eat with his friends and classmates. There was a 20% chance he would cave, and sit with her, although he would secretly be cheerful about it. There was a 10% chance he would be on cooking duty, and therefore the interaction would never occur. And the final 10% was that she was too busy with student council work to be here, which resulted in Toko never interacting with her. Well, technically inside that 10%, 3% of the time he would get pulled in with her, using his pressence to calm her nerves so she can focus on the overload of work.

After all, they both knew Toko should be interacting with kids his own age, so it only made sense that over half the time that instance would occur. Still, she would ask him every time the two encountered each other here.

"Well now, if it isn't Ren Nakamura. You know, from the way you are looking at them, someone might think you wanted to steal Toko away from her all to yourself".

Suddenly, the words from a familiar male broke her attention, and she turned to stare daggers at the culprit who had sat down at the table, Malcom Lee. She was pretty sure that he might know about her inner thoughts, but he could also just be his typical deliquent self. Although, that said, he did always get good grades in class.

"Why hello there, Lee-kun. What brings you here?"

"I was wondering..." he started, before looking around. Then, suddenly there was a slight, minor but noticable to someone like Ren, shift in the clarity of the light around them. Lee had raised some form of barrier, with lots of stealth magic loaded into it. "...if you bought that story, about Toko-kun and his Servant somehow managing to survive, and even lasting long enough to force two Servants to retreat. Now, I know Toko is the best in our entire school, even surpassing you, me, and the Prez in Magecraft to some ridiculous level, a supposed natural prodigy...but, I find it all very hard to believe".

It seemed the others sitting at the table were somehow excluded from the barrier, as no one reacted to what he said. However, she did find his words interesting.

"I actually had some of those same ideas, to be honest. Of course, I would never do something like openly bringing it up, but...I find the whole thing suspicious. However, she tends to be extremely protective of Toko-kun. At first, I just put it off as normal older sister doting, but...although no one says it out loud yet, he is the strongest Mage at this school. He doesn't really need that much protecting. So its made me wonder...how did she meet Toko, and what if...they were hiding something. Of course, it might just be my intellectual curiosity".

"Of course. However, I do agree...I think there might be more to this then meets the eye. Think about it, both the prez and Toko being some of the most gifted in Magecraft? What if...what if in truth, they actually possessed Magecraft before the Grail appeared?"

"But they already claimed they did..."

"But they also said they were only novices, and while they possessed a lot of books and knowledge, had not learned much advanced Magecraft yet. But what if they are keeping it a secret?"

"Secret magecraft...like something that could be used against a Servant?"

"Like something that can be used against a Servant. After we beat the Red Faction, we will have to fight each other after all. I am sure those two are holding some trump cards for when that happens".

"How interesting...and what makes you so curious about this?"

"I am honestly just in this for the thrill. Might just use my wish for my servant...which also means, I am perfectly willing and able to team up with someone to find out some juicy secrets. After all, I cant help but love stirring up some trouble".

This was an unexpected boon for Ren, but all the same it was good. Besides, Malcom made good company, so to speak. He didn't steal any of her attention, which meant he didn't steal any pawns for her to manipulate, and he didn't have a wish, which meant it would be all hers. it was a fantastic situation indeed. And unlike the normal Grail, which supposedly only granted one wish, and was heavily layered in obscurity, the Greater Grail was a lot more clear, and would grant a wish to both Master and Servant who achieved it.

There was one rumor she once heard from the principle of all people that the Grail was dangerous, and was also evil. Though, the vice principle seemed to think that the Greater Grail was different, more pure, which was why it was greater.

In truth, that was a bit symbolic about the school itself. A number of people were concerned about the power the Greater Grail held, while others believed it could do a lot of good. And then, there was the largest faction of the group. They kept their beliefs secret to an almost insane degree, but they were the people who often talked with Toko, and Ren was pretty sure they were aware of his wish.

Ren was curious about the other wishes as well. Malcom apparently was just in it for the thrills, but according to rumors, Suzuki who was known for having high intelligence and a reasonable mind had a great wish to maximize the effectiveness of the Grail, while Toko had a wish that would put all other wishes to shame. Serdtse-sensei also seemed to have a wish, but he would always be cryptic about it. Then there was Sanchez-sensei, who wanted to bring his children back...though not his wife, so clearly he had not gotten over the divorce at all. As for Mika, she wanted her older brother back.

Ren had properly done her research on her opponents. In truth, although Suzuki was her rival, it was Toko's wish that concerned her. She did not know specifics yet, but it seemed that it either mesmerized someone into believing in it, or terrified them into silence. Even mental invasions had bore no fruit.

And Ren's own wish? She wanted to connect to the Root. To become the ultimate master of magic. That was her wish, and it was a wish that she would make sure would be granted, no matter what. Even if she had to order her own servant to impale herself.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

After today had ended, and it was finally after school, Horus and Toko were far back in the woods between the beach and the school, away from prying eyes. They were both wearing enhanced gym uniforms, which looked like normal gym uniforms but were capable of withstanding dragon breath. You know, because Magecraft.

"Yeah. I have set up three barriers to prevent people from sneaking up on us" Toko said, as he made two daggers appear from thin air. "I need to catch up on combat training, and it wouldn't hurt if you had someone to spar against to train for your next fight against Set".

"I suppose...alright then, lets do this!"

Immediately, Toko used body strengthening magic, physical reinforcement magic, enhanced defense magic, and other things like that. This allowed Toko to fight on par with a servant of high quality. After that...he just seemed to vanish, accelerating to high speeds and slashing right at Horus. Horus ducked under the slash as he twisted his foot around, and tried to kick Toko in the gut. But Toko wrapped his body around the limb and Horus' body, and proceeded to then plant his feet on the ground and launch Horus into the air.

"Well done, but how about this!"

Suddenly, a bow appeared in his hands as he notched multiple arrows at once, and fired them down at Toko. Toko quickly went and dodged them, as they exploded behind him.

"I thought only Archers could do that!"

"I trained with a lot of weapons while trying to kill my brother! Next time, I might even be summoned as Sabre!"

Toko dug his feet into the ground, and jumped up with high speed, practically appearing instantly next to HOrus and downkicking him into the ground. Horus however fired two arrows back up, and landed two hits on Toko, knocking him to the ground as well. Both of them quickly jumped to their feet, where Toko then charged at Horus with high speed.

But Horus swerved around the attack and avoided it completely, tripped and disarmed Toko, and then got on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

"That was no fair! You used your Noble Phantasm didn't you!"

"The enemy wont be playing fair either. DOnt be afraid to use your trump cards".

"...how do you know about those already? I was going to mention them, but I never got to it yet..."

"Haha!" Horus said as he puffed out his chest. "My Noble Phantasm is truly the greatest".

"...the Eye of Horus really is amazing...still, you know I could have gone further right?"

"I know, but this was training. If the enemy keeps up their pattern, there will be another incursion tonight, so we need to be ready. I hear that we will likely be mobilizing Berserker and Sabre in this battle. By the way, what is our position?"

"We will be station in the smaller more residential area in the north, called Kokomi. And they will be positioning Archer in the south. We are to relay any movement we see".

"Makes sense. We would be better be called in to flank the enemy from their side then attack it head on".

"Since you are an Assassin, and me a Master".

"A Master who can go toe to toe with a Servant and not eat dirt. Thats pretty impressive".

"Didnt you just take me down?"

"Yeah, but I am an Assassin. I have a lot of clever and annoying tactics to use. You have skill and experience, but you can still improve. Well, everyone can always improve. That said, I do think you could handle most Servants, with the exceptions being Berserker and Sabre. Never face them".

"Alright, I will try" Toko said as Horus helped him up.

"Now come on, lets get changed and head out to our positions. Its about time for things to get started".

* * *

AN: It was more the Black Faction this time around, but it couldn't be help. This chapter just kind of wrote itself, and we got to see a lot of fun stuff! But I will re-iterate again. The poll is still on, but anyone who said Toko's wish was to be a normal human was dead wrong.


	6. Chapter 6: Strategic Layer

Chapter 6: Strategic Layer

"Maaaan...I just dont get it" Luca mentioned as he looked at the map they had in the distance. He was dressed in a very active and wild way, complete with a leather jacket and such, as he watched the people around him plot and plan. "You know giving them more time will only make things worse for us, so why dont we just charge right in at full force?"

"Because Luca Danvers, it is not that easy" Terry Blood mentioned, as he interacted with the mana projected three dimensional map. "From the battle with Berserker, we confirmed the placement of traps. They also have a massive magical set up around the city, and who knows what else they have in store. They have irregular, and quite honestly impressive, patrol patterns, they outnumber us in terms of Servants if you count the HOmunculus, and we do not know the identity of their Castor and Sabre servants. We are not either side from the earlier Greater Holy Grail War, which had decades to prepare...although I suspect the Black Faction has had at least one or two years".

"Yeah, but thats why we should rush in. If we do, it would probably disrupt all their predictions and plans".

"But we tried that with Berserker already..."

"Berserker alone yes. But what if we sent Lancer, Sabre, and had Archer there for support".

"Oi oi. Don't leave us out of this" Rune said as he and Set walked in. Luca clicked his tongue a little.

"What was that?!"

"Brats like you should just stay out of the way".

"Now now you two. Cant you calm down and not fight?" Kasai Kori mentioned as she walked in. "Just so you know, Rider of Red is also ready. If you want us to join in, just say so".

"No, its not time yet for the big conflict. Instead, I want you and Rider to scout the other approaches around the school, such as the sea route".

"Alright, fine...she wont be happy about it, but she will listen. After all, our Wishes are that important to us".

As that was said and done, Castor came over to talk to Terry.

"So then, tell me. Who is Rider of Red?"

"Neither of them will tell me. Since after this, we would be enemies and all".

"Well, I suppose that makes sense. That said..."

At that point, Castor looked over at some of the people from the Mage's Association.

"...I am not sure we can trust them. I have a strange feeling some of them are quite happy slitting our throats and trying to claim the Greater Grail themselves".

"Don't worry. Compared to us, the Mage's Association is all bark and no bite. Besides, its just they dont trust some of us. They also dont want anyone to make a wish that will cause massive changed to the world".

"I suppose. Still, everything about this era just feels wrong. Mages forced to hide in the shadows, the fact that we cannot reach true magic like what was in the old days. After all, in the Age of Gods, there was a lot less coldheartedness and sacrificing then in the mages of today".

"I guess that is just the tides of change".

"The tides of change can be bought and manipulated just like anything else" Castor replied, as he walked off to go teach his Master. Terry had some...concerns...over that man sometimes, but he would help in keeping the world safe from the whims of these children.

That said, meanwhile he could sense his own servant was...unhappy...with waiting for so long. Which meant, the time to strike would have to be soon.

"Why cant Sabres ever just be known for their patience...they always just have to charge directly in".

Although, when he thought about it, his Sabre was far from a normal Sabre as well.

"Rune, Luca" he called out to them. "Prepare your storm gear as well. And tell Inuzuka and Archer to prepare, I want them to check something out also".

"Understood!"

* * *

"And what is this?"

"Don't touch that!"

"And what about this?"

"Dont touch that either!"

"And how about this?"

"Definently dont touch that!"

Meanwhile, in a room where Set had claimed his own, a certain young Archer with wings had decided to come to chat, and got curious with all the stuff inside. This included various jars of liquid, which had skull and crossbones labels on them.

"I swear! I labeled them so obviously, so how do you not understand what you are handling is deadly poison?!"

"Ehhh? Really? I thought maybe it was a Pirate Transformation Potion, or maybe a potion to generate a pirate ship like that one guy did last night!"

"Archer!"

Set wanted to bang his head, repeatedly, into a wall as he heard what came out of Archer's mouth.

"No! And definently dont touch that poison" he said, quickly taking away the jar Archer was currently holding. "This is a very special poison I brought with me. Its a poison so powerful, it can even fell gods".

"Wait...you broguht it with you?"

"Yeah. I guess because me and my brother repeatedly tried to kill each other, many of the weapons and tools we had collected and used over the years came with us. I think my brother also has the same poison to be honest. Its a poison that is especially effective on beings with divinity, like me and Horus. It is also extremely valuable, so do not play with it unless you want to die!"

"But, I thought you might have some cool toys here..."

Set could not help but twitch at the boy. Even though they looked the same age, Set was actually much much older. He and his brother HOrus fought each other for over 80 years after all. Their divinity just kept them looking young. Actually, a lot of gods in truth had more child like appearances then what they were depicted as. It was the lust of men and women that adultized them all.

Much like how the Knights of the Round Table accepted women, but all of them were pretty much genderbent as the tales were told due to gender discrimination.

"Oooh...is this a bow?!"

"Dont touch that either!"

Set quickly pulled the bow away from Archer, but not before Archer spotted something.

"...I thought you two said you hated each other. That was engraved 'To my cherrished brother, Set. From Horus, your favorite'".

"Shut up. We didn't always hate each other. We were family after all. BUt now, we just want to kill each other" Set said, as he stored the bow spiritually.

"Okay" Archer said. "But then, why are you holding onto that bow?"

"...because its a really good bow made with some incredible stuff. There is only one other like it, and its with my brother Horus".

"Huh...so, this is just a family feud then?"

"No way! I will kill him! Just watch me! But watch me elsewhere, outside of my room damnit!" Set told him as he pushed Archer out of his room. As he did, the two spotted their masters walking down the hall.

"Hey, Set. Its showtime".

"Time to go Archer".

"You know, its fine to call him Icarus in front of me. I already know" Rune added, with a smile. Inuzuka was a bit surprised Rune had figured it out though.

"How did you..."

"Not many heroes with wings. Most are female. One technically rides a winged creature, but from what I heard, Astolfo can no longer be summoned as a Heroic Spirit".

"Why not?"

"Apparently, that one won the last Greater Holy Grail War, and is now wandering around the earth being happy and doing random stuff. No one seems to know where though".

"Huh".

"Anyways, we should probably get going. They will probably end up needing our support, and they also want us to investigate the flank positions".

"Fine then. Time for a rematch with my dear brother".

As they were about to leave though, Icarus whispered something into Set's ear.

"I think it shows how kind you both are though, to give matching bows to each other".

Set's face went all red as Icarus skipped off ahead.

"Idiot...I never said anything like that..."

* * *

"Wonderful. This is all coming along beautifully" Castor, or rather Dandolo said. In truth, he had no desire to hide his identity as he himself believes in his superiority. What he wants instead is to own everything, to buyout everything, and to have all the treasures of the world.

And currently, he was walking through the territory he created, his vast and grand Trade Emporium. Of which, of course, there would be a "Tax" for any enemy who entered, their power would slowly be drained, and stored for Dandolo to use. The longer the better. There were also various "Merchants", "Games", and "Luxuries" set up, that would have the potential to take even more.

And as a nice little twist, there was also a schoolhouse. This was where he was helping to instruct his Master, Marco, in profit and design. And if that was not enough, he had musicians dressed in more old fashioned designs, artists and actors, all of them real people of this era that he had essentially "bought". Of course, slavery was illegal in this era, but he owned their houses, they worked for him, and he had all their debt transfered to him. He had them sign contracts with very strict and severe terms, and so basically, they did belong to him.

It was rather vicious, but he was not known for holding back or denying himself what he desired.

That said, there was something that was being denied to him. He tried it, to see if he could use that to encrouch on their territory, but it was a complete failure. It was impossible to purchase and own any territory near that school and turn it into his. The people wouldn't even interract with him if he tried, and some form of magic blocked any direct attempts. And when he tried to investigate, the people turned it into a legal maze.

It was actually kind of impressive, and he would admire it if it was not stopping him. Besides, he would never admit to admiring non-european trash, or that is how he would call it.

Even this Mage's Association, even though it should have originally been European blooded, was all twisted and corrupted. Not just in blood, but in ideology and ability. In his day, it was a far more impressive sight. But now? It was practically worthless, barely able to take action. While it certainly seemed like they were on the surface, it was really just Terry Blood that was leading what he could. Most likely, if it all failed, they planned to blame him and make him a Scapegoat. If they were really able to take action, they would lead an army of their best mages and overrun the entire place. Even if those kids had Servants and the Greater Grail, they would be unable to beat thousands of trained mages.

"Is a proud Heroic Spirit really supposed to make those faces?" Lancer asked from behind, watching the Castor as he had his inner thoughts.

"Lancer...shouldn't you preparing to Sortie? And do you think it is wise to enter my Territory so easily?"

"We are allies aren't we?"

"For now...what do you want?"

"Just curious really. What would Sabre think if he saw your face".

"You think that Sabre is the real thing?"

"Yeah. I do. That said, that Terry Blood must have impressive Magic Circuits, to summon a servant of that level".

"You sound like you want to fight him..."

"Maybe once we deal with the Black Faction. I wonder what sort of glorious battle we would have, before I killed him" Lancer mentioned, before he left to join the sortie.

"...more like, before he would kill you".

* * *

Dr. Warren looked over at the artifacts in place.

"It wont be much longer now..."

As he watched them, he picked up a phone, and made a call to someone.

"I think its time to start an experiment".

* * *

"Alright, so lets go over the plan".

Terry Blood projected a map of the region, including where their forces would be approaching from.

"Our goal this time is simple. We need to eliminate at least one Servant, and make sure if they eliminate one of ours, we eliminate one for that one too. If you see Assassin's Master, try to eliminate him as well, since it would take out two birds with one stone".

That was when he highlighted the forest and mountain regions.

"We believe various traps and defenses have been lined up in these areas. We also believe they have likely set some up in the city, though probably not as much. Even if they can charm everyone, it should be nothing more then a perception blocker. They wouldn't be able to make them constantly avoid specific things, it would take too much mana".

"How are they generating the mana to maintain these things? Sacrifices?"

"About that..."

Suddenly, a projection of several modern, and maybe even a little futuristic looking, windmills, with their location marked around the city.

"...it appears they have designed some sort of alternative energy into mana device".

"Seriously?"

"I doubt its more efficient then sacrificing, but...I suppose its effective in its own way".

"Yeah. By using the wind power they get from the ocean and mountains, they dont need to get things to sacrifice. After we crush them, we should seize their designs...maybe we can combine the two methods..."

_"As expected...instead of replacing, they just desire more power by using both"._

"Another goal we should have is the elimination of the girl who appears to be in charge. She is the one who is in command of the homunculus, and likely has connections to the entire project. That sort of abomination work cannot be pardoned".

"Agreed. And if we can lure Sabre out, then we should find her somewhere nearby as well. Therefore...we shall make use of that Noble Phantasm".

The groups all nodded to each other, although a faint tension could be felt. However, they were all united and agreed on taking out the woman who they believed to be in charge. The fact is, if she possesses both the knowledge to maintain the homunculus, and also has the only surviving one, then despite her appearance as a high school girl, she was the true enemy. Not even the boy compared to the danger she may possess.

"Its time we clashed head to head" Terry Blood muttered, as he prepared his own weapons.

"Do you plan to take to the battlefield yourself, Commander Blood?"

"No, but it never hurts to be prepared".

And as Terry said this, two people watched from the shadows.

* * *

**AN:** As some of you predicted, after a chapter focused on the way more social and carefree Black Faction, now we have the more militaristic and uptight...err, responsible Red Faction being run by the Mage's Association! For the record, I am officially making Masters for the Red Faction now. Luca is Lancer's Master, and he has sort of a wild biker appearance if you will! And now, the upcoming battle approaches! Will we finally see the first loss of a Servant? What is the true identities of Rider and the Sabres? Who knows what my chaotic mind has done to this story?! Guess you will have to keep reading to find out!


	7. Chapter 7: Draw Thy Sword

Chapter 7: Draw Thy Sword

Author here! Fun fact! Aside from the fact that hte idea is fresh in my head, the reason I tend to post a lot more at the start of the project is also so that people (Okay, and myself as well) dont have to wait as long to see (and write) the good stuff!

(Okay, truth is, I just want to get to the really epic battles okay? I admit it! I have so many ideas regarding various final battle scenarios right now! And that Sabre vs Sabre fight we saw a piece of in chapter 1! And I really, REALLY want to reveal Toko's wish, and all the dramatic/heartmoving/epic scenes I have planned for everyones characters! And yes, everyone! Each and every character, both mine and those submitted, will all have their moments! Lord Metallix, I think you will especially love what I have in store for Castor)

Anyways, the sad reminded I do want to give though is that only one Master and Servant will get a wish, so only one of them is going in. However, I am equally measuring all characters and how the plot will involved, so its not guarenteed to be one of mine. However, they also wont be excluded either.

Of course, Ruler will probably have some say...hold on, where did that guy go? Ruler?! You have not shown up yet! Ruler, where did you go?! Ruler! Oh frack...I lost Ruler! *runs off stage without turning off the broadcast equipment*

Author's Assitant here! Sorry, but it seems we are having some technical difficulties right now. Anyways, for everyone who submitted an OC, please feel free to put in some requests on who you would want yours to fight, and maybe some conflict for them to overcome. Not all will be able to be gotten to most likely, unless somehow only a certain number are submitted and none of them conflict. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"Toookooooooo".

The cry was responded to with silence.

"Toooooookooooooooooo".

Still silence.

"Come on Toko! I am bored!"

"Sho-kun! We have a job to do!"

At the moment, Toko and Horus were currently north of the city, in a small surburban area surrounded by forest. As for the reason why they were placed there, it was to counter any attempts to flank their side, and to make it easier for them to sneak up on an enemy. It seemed that Suzuki would likely deploy Sabre, though it depended on what the other side sent. However, Horus predicted they would attack tonight, under the cover of darkness.

And at the moment, Toko and Horus were waiting at the top of the tallest tree, making full use of Pressence Concealment, and watching carefully. Horus also had a bow out, instead of his daggers.

"Why do you have a bow?"

"I have had experience with a lot of weapons, okay".

"...I didn't even know they had bows in Ancient Egypt".

"They had bows all over the place...its kind of a universal thing".

"Huh..."

"Now, come on! Lets play something! Anything!"

"How did you learn to be a Heroic Spirit, and an Assassin at that, without patience".

"I had it, once. When the world was more boring. But this world is interesting, and after your wish, I want to explore it all with you!"

"...you are somewhat annoyed that none of the other Heroic Spirits are more like you, thats it right?"

"Wh-what?!"

Horus was shocked at Toko's guesswork.

"It was kind of obvious".

"Fine...I hope Archer of Red comes back. He seemed like he would be fun to talk to".

"He is an enemy we have to fight though".

"Details!"

"I just hope the others are doing well..."

* * *

Meanwhile, on Kogetsu Bridge, a small group of individuals waited.

"Are you sure we can really rely on this Eye of Horus thing? How about you...Amazon woman?"

And talking to all of them, in addition to their Masters, was Castor of Black, who was safely away inside his ever growing territory.

On the bridge, there was a tall tanned woman, wearing some scrappy looking clothes and was barefoot. But was truly noticable was the tail coming out of her body, and the wolf ears on her head.

"I told you to stop with the guessing game. Master, when we finish off the Red Faction, can we please crush him first?"

Normally, Berserker was able to keep her cool to some degree, enough to appear stoic at least, but Castor had been playing twenty questions with her non stop trying to guess her identity, and it made her want to tear his face in half.

"Just work on your damn project, you mechanical freak".

"Now now" Rider of Black commented. "Stay calm and focused on the enemies ahead. They will be upon us soon. Are you ready, Archer?"

"I am in position on my perch. Admittedly, I actually prefer closer combat, but the Archer Class is the Archer Class after all. Anyways, Mika-chan, you stay safe where you are got it?"

"Un. Thank you, Archer".

"No problem, kiddo".

"Archer, why are you here? Didn't they want you watching the southern approach?"

"Yeah, and I am. However, Assassin predicted the southern approach would be fine. And I would rather like to make sure that we at least take out one of their servants this time. Especially if Berserker appears. I know it might be dangerous, but..."

"...but you are right, Berserker of Red is a monster. Even after a direct collision in combination with the poison and other attacks, it did not go down. If it truly is resistant or even immune to metal based attacks, then it must be brought down. We can guarentee that we will lose if we do not bring it down in the next encounter".

"SPeaking of which, Rider of Black. Should Berserker of Red appear in the north where Toko and Assassin is, immediately divert there. An Assassin stands no chance against the brute force and instincts of Berserker".

"Besides, we have our Lancer here" Suzuki said, as it started to rain all of a sudden. "...everyone, they are here".

"What? How do you know?"

"Because an hour ago, there was not a single cloud in the sky...a Noble Phantasm!"

And as she said that, massive amounts of lightning poured right down onto the battlefield. Additionally, a powerful pressence could be felt approaching.

They looked across the bridge, and Lancer of Red and an unknown male, but felt like a Servant, were approaching them. However, the pressure being given off by that man was intense.

"What the hell is this kind of pressure..."

"Do they plan to challange us with only two?"

"No, their Assassin is likely lurking somewhere. I see three...wait, four Masters at the forward camp they created. Wait, a fifth one arrived I think...along with a blind old man. But I get the feeling he is a Servant" Archer reported.

"Wait...then aren't we missing one?"

"Archer, the southern approach!"

"No one there...unless...unless they are coming by sea!"

"Archer, get there now! It might be their Rider!"

"On it!"

"It might be possible they are deploying all Servants and Masters on this one! Be ready for anything!"

And then, the man shot forward to attack them. He appeared bare handed at first, but then a sword of lightning appeared in his hand, and slashed right down at Berserker. And it was in that moment...an armored knight came out, and clashed swords with the man, just managing to deflect it.

But in that instant, hundreds of lightning bolts came down to stop her.

* * *

"Excellent. We finally have lured out Sabre".

"And? Who is it?"

"A Knight...probably female..."

"You can tell?"

Terry Blood just smiled at the man.

"I have a large array of skills".

"I..see...anyways. Can we determine her identity?"

"Well, her sword is quite interesting. It appears...we may be fighting the King of Knights, Arthur...or...Arturia...Pendragon".

"What?! How did they manage such a high level summon!"

"No matters...for while their Sabre might be a king, ours is a god".

"True...true...looks like Lancer of Red has engaged Berserker and Rider of Black...and our Berserker should be heading right up north. How is our Rider doing?"

Terry looked at the map, and then clicked his tongue.

"Looks like she decided not to scout, and is going to the back. Well, maybe we will get lucky and they take out Castor for us".

"I dont see Archer though..."

At that exact moment, Terry moved to the left while pushing Inuzuka with him, as a bullet nearly pierced them both.

"Apparently, he sees us...oh shit".

That was when he noticed...multiple other magical projectiles were falling from the sky right at them.

"Castor!"

"Right!" Castor replied, generating a barrier as multiple bullets impacted. In addition, multiple magically enhanced arrows also joined them. Although he was not sure how, it felt like they had traded speed for power...and also...

"Not all of these are from Servants...and the bullet type...they have snipers?!"

* * *

"Thats right! Girls and boys, show them the true skill of the Toketa Academy Archery Club and Toketa Academy Sniping Club!"

"Hey! Isn't the saying Boys and Girls!"

"Well, I am a girl, so I get to decide how to say it!"

"Is now really the time for this you two?"

Yamagi Reika, and Hanaba Kyouske. The leaders of the Archery Club and the newly formed Sniping Club, respectively. Although both of them were still in middle school, Reika and Kyouske showed tremendous abilities that would let them fit into the respective spots as Magecraft was spreading around and more...unusual...clubs opened up. Technically, it was the Rifle Club, but they had temporarily renamed themselves to the Sniping Club for the duration of the Holy Grail War.

They were back, far behind the Servants, shooting at exceptional range with their weapons enhanced by Magecraft. In addition, each had support members doing rituals actively to further boost their accuracy and firepower, resulting in a strong defensive line to help keep even Servants back.

As for the one keeping them in line, that was Yamari Uzumi, who was the leader of the Support Club, a Club that specialized in Support actions such as delivering vital resources and messages, maintaining the telepathic communication network for times of active conflict, ensuring the magic tools kept operational, and providing mana recovery to those who needed it, in addition to numerous other actions.

Including keeping Reika and Kyouske focused on the conflict, and not on bickering. Even though they bickered though, they were childhood friends who got along great. This was normal for them, but it could be disruptive to everyone else.

"Yeah yeah, I got it!"

"Don't worry, we are focused".

"...I will believe it when I see it".

""So cold!""

"This is Yamari. I am happy to report that I am successfully keeping the two musclebrained idiots in charge of our defense support in line. All praise is appreciated as I deal with this stressful task".

""Hey!""

* * *

"Tsk. Fine then. Fire the artillery!"

Terry Blood gave the order, adn then from the rear, large scale magic artillery was fired right at the city and the school. But right before it got into the airspace, a barrier appeared and managed to absorb it.

"Magical defenses huh? As expected. Keep firing! We will keep them occupied while Berserker breaks in from the front!"

As he gave the order, Inuzuka walked up next to him.

"Hey, we have an issue".

"What?"

"We dont have a location on their Lancer".

"...you are right. It wasn't there...Dr. Warren?"

The doctor immediately came up, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, Commander?"

"We have no confirmation on Lancer of Black. Do we have any intel on where it is?"

Warren immediately took out a pocketful of bones, and dropped them onto a table in front of him. The moment they landed, they began to move, bounce, and rattle in specific ways, until they formed something that seemed incomprehensible.

"It appears...well, thats odd. Why did they send Lancer of Black there?"

At the same time, one of the Mage's Associations Scouts appeared.

"Sir, several of our Spy Golems in the north were just taken out! However, it was by someone with a bow..."

While he continued to give a report, Rune snuck away for a moment and contacted his Servant Telepathically.

"Hey, Set. We cant move from formation yet, we cant risk them turning on us if we deviate from the plan right now...but, looks like someone with a bow is up north. Once you finish your role here, maybe a trip up there is next?"

"Hey, Rune. What are you doing?"

Luca noticed Rune going off to the side.

"Just checking on something. Why, what do you want?"

"I cant find Berserker's Master anywhere".

"I think...he went up north?"

"What?! Why would...whatever, I am going after him!"

"Kaaay! Good luck!" Rune mentioned, as he patted him on the back. What he didn't know was that Rune put a rune on him that would let him monitor the area around him, including eavesdrop on everything. "Well now, lets see how this goes".

* * *

Simon Agravain was currently freely flying through the skies, watching his Berserker down from above. After all, what better view was there then from a birds eye view?

However, that was when something caught his eye.

Or rather, headed right for his eye. He just barely dodged, and got a cut on his cheek, as several arrows came raining down at him. He was forced to start high speed dodging, as he spotted the origin of them.

"Well now...if it isn't that boy..."

It seemed he was the lucky, or the unlucky one, as he spotted the boy everyone had been talking about.

"Alright Berserker! Full charge!"

He shouted that, and pointed at the tree. He used Magecraft to enhance his sight as well, and confirmed it was the boy. But...he was the one holding the bow...

"Where is..."

Immediately, Simon understood the situation and tried to turn up right as several arrows came from below. Although his wind magic was pretty good, several of them still cut him...and suddenly, he felt intense pain and paralysis in them.

"Poison?! Seriously?! Berserker, get him off me by going after the Master! In fact, to be safe, use Mad Enhancement several times over!"

Suddenly, Berserker's speed and strength increased, much to the displeasure of Toko and Horus.

"Doesn't he realize there is a residential district here? Even if we are clouding their perceptions, they will notice if serious damage and injury is done! And he just released a Berserker in that mix!"

Toko was not even supposed to be positioned near the front lines, yet now he had come face to face with a Berserker. He jumped down the tree to flee, but Berserker was moving at insanely high speeds thanks to the Mad Enhance, and heading right for Toko. But just before the two got close to each other...a third person appeared. Lancer of Black. The attack came up and around. However, as expected of the Lancer who was dual summoned as a Berserker, the control was off and it whacked Toko as well, knocking him back as she attacked Berserker of Red.

When Toko did finally get up though, he realized he had uncomfortably close seats to a battle between a Berserker, and a Lancer who was also a Berserker. In a way, a fight between two Berserkers, one with a renowned terrible luck stat liable to hit allies as well.

"Horus, keep watch over them and help as you can! I am getting some distance. I might have Servant Class strength, but I am not suicidal enough to get in the middle of a fight between two people with Berserker strength".

As he said that, Lancer of Black summoned forth a powerful attack right as Berserker of Red utilized a powerful flame attack. Lancer was able to deflect it, but it got deflected in several directions, including right towards Toko! He just barely managed to dodge out of the way.

"What? Are they both trying to kill me?!"

Little did anyone know, off in the distance, Ren was still watching all this from afar.

"Good good. Keep up the work Lancer. Remember, that vile agent of the Protestants is trying to destroy the entire Roman Catholic Faith. I even heard rumors that some of the wishes of their Masters was to eliminate Roman Catholics forever".

With those words, Lancer suddenly began to fight with even more vigor and bloodlust. Even though she looked much like a noblewoman, she absolutely terrified people. And with her lance, that looked more like a Stake really, it completed the effect.

"Oh, and remember to keep letting that boy get injured. If he dies, he can be used as a martyr for the cause, and convert even more people away from being Protestants. If we decide to save him, he can still be used as a symbol of their brutality, and we can nurture him and win him over..."

Ren said those words that indicated just how cold she really was. She didn't have to be afraid of Lancer accidentally saying anything, she was also Berserker and quite mad. Furthermore, she wanted her about the Mage's Associations, indicating they were also a symbol of Protestants, might have spies, and so to not reveal any details of any of their plans, past, present, or future slip.

She still had not decided yet though, whether to let Suzuki's little brother Toko die and be murdered, or to save him, and use that special sort of action to steal Toko from Suzuki for herself, and use him to unlock all of her secrets. Maybe to even make her squirm. Unless of course, she saw something that explained how and why he and his Servant were able to fight off two Servants on their own...

"...come on now. Show me whatever secret special Magecraft you have been hiding...show me everything..."

"Hmmm" Rider of Red said, as she spotted an unusual looking group of factories. Even though it was night time, and everyone should have gone home from work, the lights were still on, and the parking lot was packed. She initially had just been considering to steal the Grail with her Master from the others, but it seemed like it was underground, and not too accessible by water. So she decided to go and investigate, jumping off and landing on the beach nearby.

That was what made the factories look unusual. Not only were they on school grounds, they were near the beach. Seemed like an odd choice.

"Well now, I am sorry dear, but the tours run during daytime only. I would have to request you leave immediately".

A man, who appeared at the top of the factory, looked down at Rider and told her that.

"Oi...you shouldn't damn well look down at me..."

As she said that, two cars drove out of the factory. At first, Rider seemed on guard...but then she noticed they were being driven by Elementry Schoolers.

"I know they have Magecraft, but I think your side must be losing it".

"To be honest, I was surprised too, but after showing me a lot of stuff called 'Manga' and 'Anime' that supported the idea, I decided to go with it".

"What do you...oh shit..."

At first, Rider questioned Castor's sanity, but then the cars seemed to drive forward...and then, it was like time slowed down. No, it was more like their perception of time was accelerated, but the cars accelerated even more so...after the kids had put in special keys, and they started to transform.

"Mobilize! Ford Mechar, Turbo!"

"Mobilize! Ford Mechar, Steelrim!"

And just like that, they transformed into robots. Rider could only figure the two kids were inside, piloting the damn things. Still...it was...actually kind of cool...Rider had to admit that.

Actually, although she did not show it, she wanted one for herself. She did have the Riding Skill after all.

"I told you, it was actually a good idea".

""Now, Turbo/Steelrim! Deploy Bumper Swords!""

At those words, what was likely in fact very dangerous swords appeared.

"You really think that these two, even with those, will be able to beat me?"

"What makes you think only two Elementry School Students came up to me with this request? It was a popular idea with the boys".

Suddenly, from the darkness, dozens of headlights turned on. Rider started to get a very bad feeling. Even if she was confident and arrogant...it was not like she had expected to fight an army of giant car based robots...

"...I suppose only kids could think this shit up..."

"Hey! No cursing in front of the kids!"

"YOu have them geared up for bloody battle, and you are concerned about cursing at this time?!"

"This and that are different!"

"Who the hell are you Castor!?"

Castor looked away with a somewhat bemused face.

"Did you not notice the brand of cars? It was even in the name...Ford Mechar? Its obvious by now I am Henry Ford from that alone..."

"What was that?! You talking trash about me?!"

"Nooope! Have fun entertaining the children!"

"Damn you!"

* * *

Sabre and Sabre. Each time they went head to head, a shockwave was created. The power of their swords matched each other, and to make matters more interesting, the cloak around Sabre of Black's blade had long since faded, revealing a treasured and notable sword of golden aura that all would recognize. A sword that was used by a Chosen King, Excalibur. Yes, that is what everyone realized once they saw the blade.

"So, you the famed King of Knights!"

"And you...with this strength, and the ability to weild thunder and lightning, there are only two people you could be! And last I checked, you do not have a hammer! Which means...you are Zeus!"

Indeed, the identity of the Sabre of Red...was the God, Zeus. A truly shocking feat.

In terms of Servants, a Master had to be strong enough to summon Servants of certain strength. However, as a result, there were certain Heroic, but mostly Divine, SPirits that would never be summoned. And among them, ranking near the top, was Zeus. Simply put, his strength was too great, too overwhelming. He was a god that was at the top of a Pantheon. A god who could bring down multiple other gods at once.

And yet somehow, someone on the side of the Red Faction wielded the strength to summon Zeus. For that to be...he would have to be someone who has gotten close to Toko's level, a human who could match Heroic Spirits, or at least the weaker ones.

"Now do you understand? You cannot defeat me, even with Noble Phantasms!"

"We will see about that!"

"No, we will not!"

Zeus came in to clash with Artoria Pendragon, still fully clad in armor. However, in that instant...Zeus was hit with multiple bullets in several locations, which allowed Artoria to give him a direct and severe attack.

"Sorry for the late arrival" Archer of Black, also known as Billy the Kid, said as he reloaded his guns, which were radiating a huge amount of mana. "But the miss deemed that we must settle this quickly, and I was happy to oblige".

"That is fine Archer. Now..." Artoria said, as she charged her sword with mana and then rushed in to finish Zeus. However, Zeus quickly released his faint, revealing he had taken less damage then he did and lured Artoria into a counter attack. And Rider was too occupied with Lancer to render any aid, while Lancer had for some reason gone on a rampage in the north, though from what the support team said, it seemed she was trying to protect Toko, at least on some level. Castor was dealing with Rider, while Assassin and Castor of Red were not present yet, a scary though for sure. Berserker of Red was also up north, which left... "Find Archer! He will be around somewhere!"

"Ha! Still composed to lead then? Well, in that case..." Zeus said, and he directed his eyesight to where the archers and snipers were that were harassing the forward command post. "...lets see how you handle this!"

Suddenly, lightning charged forth, but instead of targeting Servants or Masters, they targeted the middle school students in the far back providing support. Even though he was supposed to be of the Sabre Class, he was the god Zeus, and apparently had special abilities. But what would shock everyone was that he did not target them because they were a threat, but for the sole reason of upsetting Sabre, which would reduce her ability to lead and...

"Like hell I will let you!" she shouted, harshly, as she summoned a powerful red flame from her sword and intercepted the lightning while also counter attacking Zeus and dealing damage to him. This gave Zeus quite the shock, as he saw the appearance of Artoria...no, of Sabre...flutter and flicker.

"What the...no, the King of Knights wouldn't be like that...how are you gaining strength from anger...unless...there was at least one other female knight of the round table. Someone who could also potentially use Excalibur, who had the Pendragon bloodline...Mordred?!"

Suddenly, Sabre's armor changed as a glamour spell was released.

"Well damn. I guess the jig is up. Yeah, thats right. I'm back".

* * *

**AN:** Hahaha! I am just imaging everyone's faces who read this chapter! Especially that last part! Oh man, I hope at least one person was drinking something when they read that! Thats right people! Bet you didn't see this one coming! But you gotta remember what Horus mentioned earlier, about how there was a trick they had saved up...hahahaha!


	8. Chapter 8: One's Own Heart

Chapter 8: One's Own Heart

And here is another chapter! Hope you all enjoy, and remember people, it is anyones game right now...except...

Well anyways, I guess I was particularly inspired today. And I left you something to look forward to next chapter too... :)

* * *

Present Day:

"We have confirmed the presence of Lancer approaching the Greater Grail!" said one student in the former computer lab, and now tactical hub for the Black Faction Forces.

"Ford's group is holding up! But we are recieving fire from the Mage's Association! Barriers are at 20%, but with this firing, they will end up involving innocent civilians! What are they thinking!"

"They aren't. They are desperate" one glasses wearing middle schooler named Yuma Tokorori said. "They are desperate to stop the dream, the wish, of Toko Kiragime-sama".

As such, he stood up and ounded his chest, much like a salute. Others did the same.

"They are afraid of change, of unknowns, and of hope itself. For too long, Mages have lived in darkness, done dark things. They seek to plunder our spoils and stop our advances, mesmerized by what we can achieve. It is Toko-sama who will advance us to victory!"

"Then, is it time?"

"Yes! Prepare that! It is time to show them the spirit of freedom! Of hope! Of adventure! No matter what the risks and dangers may be, it is time!"

However, that was when the door was kicked open, and Archer of Red appeared in the door, though heavily injured.

"Not...so fast..."

* * *

Back to the story:

Horus felt his eye burn as more images of the future revealed themselves to him. In addition to one fairly concerning scene, he also saw other images of obscurity. Once again, the images of a river of blood, and a sea of corpses. But others appeared to him...including Lancer of Red, blooded and standing over a corpse, as well as an image of the Assassin and Castor Class Cards. And finally, a grey flag.

"Toko! Get out of here!"

"I am trying! I am trying really hard!" Toko shouted, as he kept running. "BUt its like both Berserkers are after me! Wherever I go, the battle follows me!"

"The battle is following...Ren!"

Horus immediately looked over at Ren, but she was not making any odd movements, and she had all of her Command Spells. The Eye of Horus was useful for predictions for sure, but it was not sureproof. Furthermore, it was only for the sense of vision, although sometimes it did give him smell and hearing, they were not common and only for moments of extreme significance.

Still, something about Ren bothered him...it felt like Berserker of Black was trying to get Toko targeted, but there was nothing direct to suggest it.

"Still, I cant let anyone get in the way...of Master's wish!" Toko shouted, drawing several arrows and firing them across the region inbetween the group and Ren. Although Ren had the same confidence that Lancer would not expose her secrets, from all the Mad Enhancements, Horus realized that there was no way Lancer would be sane enough to recognize or relay Toko's abilities. "You are clear!"

"Good!" Toko said, enhancing his legs and body and rushing forward with more speed. However, this seemed to catch the eye of Berserker of Red, who charged right up next to him and tried to punch him. Toko was just barely able to dodge, but then got caught up as Lancer of Black made an attack with brutal force that hit them both. Toko was still concerned, but...well, he remembered the lesson the vice principle taught him.

_"Its okay to be an inexperienced idiot when you have the advice of friends to pull from"._

"Right...and what Sho-kun said..." Toko said, remembering the words of Horus while also not carelessly saying his True Name on the battlefield.

_"Its okay to use your Trump Cards"._

There was probably some paraphrasing there, but that was besides the point.

"Very well..." he concluded, as he looked at Berserker of Red, and then its Master up above. And then, he looked at the waxing moon. Suddenly, massive amounts of mana appeared in his hands. "Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Moonscale Swords!"

And there, in his hands, a pair of black and white swords appeared in his hands, the mana making it look illuminated and glowing. Furthermore, just by glance, an experienced warrior could tell they looked strong.

Meanwhile, Simon who saw this in the sky, didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Now! Moonscale Crossslash!"

And Toko unleashed a powerful attack at both Servant and Master...

* * *

"You really thought you could do this, didn't you girlie!"

"Stop calling me girlie, you oversized stormcloud!"

"What the hell did you just call me, you serving wench!"

"You thunder breath!"

The two sabres continued to sling increasingly idiotic slurs at each other as they clashed. Sword to sword, lightning to fire, strike to strike. AN epic battle had started, but the two did not seem evenly matched. The fact was, Archer was supporting Sabre, while Berserker held off Lancer.

Although, in truth, it was Lancer that was getting chased around by Berserker. Simply put, Berserker was so fast and vicious in her attacks, she was not givng Lancer any time to get into form or use a Noble Phantasm. She just kept coming and coming. Lancer tried to knock down a streetlamp to get in her way, and she tore it apart without losing speed. He tried to knock a car into her way, but she avoided it...then it transformed, and started attacking him, which was odd. He stopped trying to use cars that way after that.

And meanwhile, the fight between Sabres picked up intensity.

"To think...you would require me to use my Noble Phantasm! By the storms of the gods, by the power I hold at the seat that leads them, by my name as Zeus...Godsmite Thundershock!"

Zeus brought down a huge storm of lightning on Mordred...however...

"Avalon! Protect me!"

"What?! Both Excalibur and Avalon?!"

"And Excalibur! Attack!"

"Two Noble Phantasms at once?! You dare raise such arrogance against a god!?"

THe shockwaves created by their fight got worse, to the point that things started to flash around them. Their Noble Phantasms colliding against each other, at full force for all to feel.

And these shockwaves threatened to destroy the bridge. No, it should be considered odd the bridge was not already broken. It had taken repeated impacts and shockwaves from Zeus and Mordred, there was no physical possibility for it to be standing at the moment.

"Now! Thunderer!"

And Billy shot even more attacks into Sabre while searching for Archer of Red. Meanwhile, the target Zeus had been ignoring the Archer so far. It was kind of insulting to be honest. But Berserker was too occupied to help...

"Why the hell is the mutt so hell bent on killing...me?"

The moment he called her a mutt, she used several Mad Enhancements on herself and charged at him with even more force and strength. He managed to deflect a few with his weapon, but it seemed he had managed to really piss her off.

"I apologize! Please calm down!"

But of course, this was a Berserker. That was a foolish thing to ask.

"Fine then! Activate Noble Phantasm: Spear of Ajax the Lessar!"

As he shouted that, his spear gained tremendous power and he threw it right at Berserker. Berserker, on the other hand, put all her strength into deflecting it, but found it to be much tougher then she thought and it grazed her. Meanwhile, Lancer was surprised that she was able to deflect it at all, but he supposed the Berserker class was always made of monsters.

And so, she chased him down while the Sabres continued their own fight.

"Take this, you ugly, blue eyed, cucumber god!"

At this point, the insults they were giving didn't even make sense anymore. The people who were listening just wanted to shake their heads at this whole exchange.

"You silly dressed, arrogant, virgin!"

"The hell?! Now you will pay!"

Meanwhile, at the command post...

"Suzuki-sempai...what is a virgin?" one of the talented elementry schoolers who was a member of the Support Club asked her.

Suzuki suddenly found herself in a position far more scary and dangerous then the one Sabre was in right now.

"Its a grown up word. You will learn it when you get older".

"But...what is it?"

"...how about this. Never mention it ever, in fact, erase it from your memory and never think of it for at least ten years, and I will buy you a lot of ice cream".

"Okay~"

The child was distracted and satisfied, and Suzuki was saved from a near fatal situation.

"Well, that was close..." she said, when she noticed something overhead, flying under the stormclouds. But, she was sure it was not a bird. "Archer sighted. He is scouting. Probably looking for this command post. Mika-chan, since Zeus was so nice to provide us with stormclouds and rain, would you mind making use of it?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

"Yes yes, its down that street, near the plaza, and...what the?!"

Icarus, who had been scouting, thought he was far enough away from all the servants...but then, he got attacked from the one angle he was not watching. Above.

Yes, massive shards of ice rained down on him. He deflected some of them with his wings, but others cut him and tore through him. He was forced to dodge around, expending mana to accelerate his speed and leaving a trail of light as he sped towards safety and freedom.

"What is this...is it, that girl?"

Using his eyes as an Archer, he spotted one girl using her magic circuits rather strongly. To think that a girl like that was able to use such Magecraft at that distance...and it was through taking advantage of an enemy Sabre's own power.

"Is the Black Faction just full of monsters?"

And down below, they were thinking the exact same thing, seeing an Archer that could fly in the sky.

"No matter! Assassin, I have to pull out! Its all on you! They are on an elevated plaza, its name is Obsidian Plaza!"

"Got it!" Set replied, as he jumped off a rooftop and right toward the plaza. "I got you now! Target sighted, the Black Team Commander!"

He came down while in full pressence concealment, drawing his daggers and going right for Suzuki Subaru. And right as his daggers were about to touch her...a powerful barrier stopped him in his tracks.

"Well tried, Assassin of Red" she said as she looked towards him, and a Spell Array appeared in the barrier. He was then shot backwards into the building behind him, impacting the side of it but managing to land on his feet. He jumped down, and looked at Suzuki. Other students had come to her aid, manifesting swords, spears, bows, and guns.

"That sure is a lot of manifestation ability users".

"Who said that was all we had?" she said with a smile, as Assassin of Red was suddenly impacted with multiple fireballs from afar. On a rooftop nearby, several students of the middle school and high school branches were holding staffs. And as it ended, two elementry school levelers suddenly charged at Assassin with summoned blades. Assassin went to block and attack them, but the moment he did, his arms were hit with sniper rifle fire and he was forced to duck down and dodge.

Assassin quickly used pressence concealment, and went back in to break through the barrier and get the commander. He came out with daggers and tried again, but this time he was again by the barrier, and repelled once more.

"Damn it...I guess there is no choice..." Assassin muttered.

_"Master, we have an issue. She has a barrier. I need more power"._

_"Understood. By the power of this Command Seal, tear through her barrier and eliminate the leader of the Black Faction"._

Set's blades became charged with mana, and he shot forward with that power. Suzuki seemed to realize what he was doing, and reinforced her barrier. This time, when his daggers made impact, sparks flew as the shockwaves send air pulses around them. Behind Suzuki, several of them were working together to reinforce her barrier...and in addition, what appeared to be mana circuits moved through the very city itself to Suzuki, replenishing her barrier with mana from across the entire city. In other words, the entire city...it had been designed to fuel her.

If Toko was a Servant Class human created through brute force and mass production, then Suzuki right now, was a Servant Class Human created through the hard work and teamwork of every mage within the city, all of them pouring their mana into this device which has supercharged her magic...and allowed her to take on Assassin.

"My turn..." she said, as she drew the sword at her waist. "My blade is righteous and true. My soul is steadfast and hardened. I will fight for my people, for their dreams and desires. And so, Activate: Artificial Noble Phantasm Hero's Edge!"

The moment she released it, Assassin was knocked backwards, despite hte power being given him from the Command Seal. But what he was seeing was just ridiculous. They had networked all of them to the city, and likely the Grail itself, to supercharge certain individuals at the right time. This entire city...was a giant magic item they had engineered for the purpose of giving mages Servant Class Strength.

Suzuki suddenly charged forward, but Set was still powered up by the Command Seal and was able to block. Suzuki slashed and slashed with rapid and precise strikes, utilizing a sword style Set had never seen before. He deflected, dodged, and blocked, and then finally he saw an opening and counter attacked. She managed to dodge by jumping back, but he continued the pursuit, which made her keep dodging until she was able to block with her sword in a way to throw him off balance. At the same time, she then unleashed a beam of light from the sword and blasted Set even further back, before charging forward with Servant Class Speed to strike at him.

Thankfully as an Assassin, Set also had speed that would let him dodge that, and did so successfully. However, he could feel the pressure for sure.

And then, she accelerated even further. However, she was still clearly not used to it, because it only took him a minor dodge. His arm still got knicked pretty badly, but it was not lethal. That said, it was enough pain, plus the existence of the others around him, to realize this was not a situation he could win, and retreated.

"Sorry, but I have to save my strength for my brother. Maybe we can play again another time".

As the battle concluded, Suzuki looked around for a bit first, but became content he had run away and sheathed her sword.

"Excuse me, Suzuki-sempai!"

"Yes?"

"We are detecting a huge collision of mana in the north! We also have reports that Lancer is up there with Ren, and that along with them Toko and Assassin have engaged the enemy. However, we cant gain any more details, as something is blocking us. Some sort of black smoke. That said, the spike of mana...its almost like a Noble Phantasm..."

"I see...so he is fighting strong then..."

* * *

"Sir, we have detected a massive spike of mana in the north!"

"Inuzuka!"

"I understand, you dont have to tell me. I will have Archer investigate".

Inuzuka really was starting to feel suffocated, under all these people from the Mages Association. Apparently, they were there after a previous incident with the first Red Faction in the first Greater Holy Grail War, but...they were just smothering them at this point.

It made him wish he could switch places with Archer, just to get away from them.

* * *

"Alright, I got it! Anything to get away from those crazy peo...HEY! I am too far away! Stop taking pot shots at me!" Archer replied to his master, though he got distracted by the sniping club occasionally taking shots at him. However, as he turned around...for a moment, he could have swore he saw something large move above the stormclouds... "Either I just saw a giant black dragon...or Zeus is about to unleash another powerful attack...ima bet on the latter".

And so, Archer began to fly towards the battle in the north...when he recieved more attacks. At first, he thought it was the students again, but...

"Archer of Black".

"Archer of Red".

The two archers locked eyes.

"Sorry Master, but...iv been flagged down by Archer of Black. I am going to be occupied for awhile".

Archer summoned his bows and fired arrows like crazy, but each one was intercepted by Billy the Kid's bullets. He then made a counter attack, but Archer was able to fly at high speed and dodge them. He had more arrows drawn and fired, but Billy continued to shoot them down. They both kept trying, but...thanks to their accuracy, both of them were able to shoot down or dodge each other's projectiles.

* * *

"Care to give up Rider? If you change sides and join us, you will have much better odds".

"Like hell I will!" Rider replied. She had already disabled four robots, disabling their limbs and destroying important circuitry. That said, at first she seemed annoyed they would let children do something so dangerous, but after an accident she learned the cockpick was the heaviest thing about them, due to the armor, and understood it was strong enough that she would need to score a direct hit with a Noble Phantasm to break it.

"You know, I am getting used to these toys! You cannot hold me back forever, Castor!"

"Oh please. Do you know how many students there are at this Academy?"

At those words, from every dark corner, more headlights turned on.

"OH COME ON!" Rider yelled, considering every possible option that could be achieved to torture Castor and make him suffer. "JUST HOW MANY ROBOT FANATICS ARE THERE?!"

"And these are just the elementry schoolers. We have middle schoolers and even high schoolers".

"AHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG!"

Rider was losing, not in a battle of strength, but in a battle of attrition where her endurance, as high as it was, would be strained.

"DAAAMNNN YOU CASTOR! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I WILL MURDERIZE YOU!"

"And these are only the ones we have awake. Some of them are off duty, asleep. So please keep it down, or you will wake up even more people to fight you".

Rider really, REAAALLY, wanted to kill Castor now. But even using a Noble Phantasm would not do much at this point, not with the enemies surrounding her, using heavily armored mechas, and being driven by people far more insane and enthusiastic then any enemy Rider had faced before: children living their dreams.

The battle had already been decided most likely, but Rider refused to accept it and pushed forward.

* * *

"Well now" Dr. Warren mentioned, as he took steps towards the location of the anomaly. "Time to see this boy with my own two eyes".

He took steps forward, and that was when he saw it. As he entered the town, there were two massive scars as if something had melted the road, and then in front of him...there was Lancer of Black and Berserker of Red, the former having used the latter to sheild themselves against the attack. And at the edge was the boy, who appeared to be at the origin of the blast, looking exhausted.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense. Heroic Spirits are hardened by the Grail to be able to use their own Noble Phantasms. My guess is, he used Artificial Noble Phantasms while still lacking the experience, and ended up weakening himself. Still, its probably because he is not good at controlling the power yet, but this Noble Phantasm clearly possessed a large amount of strength. Simon, are you here".

"Yeah, I am" Simon said, coming down from the sky and landing next to Dr. Warren. "He tried melting me too, but his accuracy was off and I escaped. As for the big guy..."

Suddenly, Berserker of Red, who should have been dead, came to life and thrashed about, throwing Lancer of Black far away into the forest and inflicting more damage to it. Simon raised his hand and revealed a burnt out Command Spell.

"I had to use one of those. The attack cut right through my Berserker, and severely damaged Lancer of Black even. I doubt he meant to do that, although certainly Lancer of Black was not doing him any favors either".

Meanwhile, at the other end, Toko was breathing heavily as he regained his breath. He was well aware he put too much strength into that attack, but it was so vast...so overpowering, he lost some of his control.

"Sorry about that Sho-kun" he mentioned. "I dont get many opportunities to even test these, let alone use them, so the power of my Artificial Noble Phantasms is still hard to use".

"No problem. Lancer of Black was getting in our way anyways. Maybe even trying to hurt us".

"Well, I still have the Noble Phantasms themselves, but lets try to rest".

"I dont think that will be possible..." Horus replied, as he pointed out the people approaching them. "It seems we have visitors".

"...oh, great..."

As Toko got his strength back and took a fighting stance, Horus got a bit concerned when he saw a man in glasses approach Toko.

"Stay back. Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Well, simply put, we wanted to invite you to join the Red Faction, Homunculus".

"Oh really...and why would I want to join you?"

"Well, for one thing, we can make you whole...we know how to complete the process, we have the notes".

"I think I am fine as is. Also...I absolutely don't trust you".

"OH come now. I dont think dropping out of the race would be difficult. After all, surely we can help you achieve your wish just as easily..."

As Ren, a few students, and others came to see what was going on, Golems from both the students and the Mages Association also came by.

"No. My wish can only be granted by the Greater Grail. Not even a Lesser Grail would be capable of it".

"What? What makes your wish so different from all the others?"

"Simple. The very nature of wishes themselves, and what people think of them as, is different" Toko said, as he looked towards a side street. "Are you here to also judge my wish, Ruler?"

"Well done, sensing my pressence" Ruler complimented as he stepped out of the shadows. "I suppose I will ask the key question. Toko Kiragime, what is your wish?"

"Well, if you ask like that...in that case, let me tell you...what my wish is".

* * *

**AN:** I can feel the cringe, the hate, and the suffering. To make that the cliff hanger...well, three chapters in one day has seriously drained me. But now, you should all be very happy and excited for next chapter, when Toko's wish is revealed...


	9. Chapter 9: The Wishes of Children

Chapter 9: The Wishes of Children

"Then what is it? What is this wish of yours that is different from all the others? Are you going to wish for world peace? An end to world hunger? You think you are the first to have those ideas?"

As the various people gathered and listened, they were sure that what he had said was the ramblings of a young boy. But then, when he opened his mouth...everything changed. For everyone.

"No. And yes. What I will wish for is not the solution, but the cause to all solutions. My wish...is for a Second Age of Gods".

And thus, those words shattered the reality and minds of everyone who heard it. Not quite litterally, but that was how it felt like. Back at the room where several heads of the Mages Association were drinking wine and watching the fights, when they heard that from their spy golems at the scene, they felt shock. Two dropped their wine glasses. Another dropped their knife onto the table. And they all watched in shock, wondering if what they had heard was accurate.

Dr. Warren was even in shock.

"What...what did you say?"

"Like I said, my wish is for a Second Age of Gods. Its the best solution you see".

"What do you mean...by that?"

"Here, let me spell it out for you. Right now, there are lots of creatures that are basically extinct. Dragons, Minotaurs, and other creatures that could be a source of meat for people. Plants that have gone extinct because they were over harvested, plants that came from the Age of Gods. If a new Age of Gods begins, then The World will have its life force replenished, and the people on it will finally no longer suffer from World Hunger. Additionally, a new Age of Gods would allow normal humans to once again be able to reach the strength of Heroic Spirits, of Servants, so rather then saving the world, it will give the power for the people of the world to save themselves".

As they heard his logic, so many people seemed too scared to even move or interrupt. After all, Toko was casually saying he would wish for not a result, but rather, he would wish for something that would be the cause of multiple results. Instead of wishing to save the world, he would make a wish that would cause people to be able to save it themselves.

"And of course, as superhumans would become more common, I would be able to fit in a lot easier!"

And he also had his own selfish reasons.

"But not just me, others as well. And of course, with all the mana released into the atmosphere itself, any Servant still alive when I make my wish will likely be able to stay materialized, which means our friends may not have to leave us. Plus, we would be able to build more homes for the homeless, more jobs would be created to hunt monsters, new economies would boom. Instead of people having to rely on bloody sacrificies and other cold hearted techniques, by introducing a new Age of Gods, people would be able to achieve what Mages of Old did without all that. It would be a new era of advancement and wonder".

The more Toko spoke, the brighter and happier he seemed, as he truly believed in his own wish.

"Mages would be able to reach the Root easier if they worked for it. We would no longer have to hide in the shadows. New heroes will be born, and of course, it would bring in a new era of advancement and culture. Everything will expand, and become more adventerous. More interesting! A new Age of Gods will let us finally achieve all of this, it will be the cause to multiple results. And with the monsters around, World Peace will be achieved, as there would be creatures for humanity to unite against!"

The more he spoke, the more people began to understnd his thinking. Others were afraid, and concerned, but...others also understood what he was saying, and there were those who heard his words and understood that what he said made sense.

Others however, such as the people drinking wine while watching this battle, saw it as the sign of something else...in their eyes, Toko was a demon. An evil demon that would destroy everything if allowed to exist. And others...they were just curious, curious about what it would be like. Curious about what new challanges this wish would create.

But many agreed that Toko had clearly studied cause and effect.

"But how does that make your wish so different from so many others?!"

"Because, I am not wishing for the result. With wishes, people tend to wish for the result. The end thing. One million dollars. A fancy new sportscar. All of that. Those are results. I am wishing for a cause, an event that will lead to all of the results. Instead of forcing everyone to go along one path, I will open up paths for everyone to choose. My choice will still be enacted, but the people of the world will still be free to make their own choices. They can choose to save the world, or try to destroy it. They can choose to love, or to hate. All I am is providing more in this world".

Toko was completely serious about his wish, and it had even put Dr. Warren to fear. After all, his wish defied normalcy. His wish was a gamble, not a guarentee, but it seemed he had studied it and was sure of his result. Even Dr. Warren had to admit, everything made sense. Toko truly had created an idea to save the world, without actually saving it. People would not suddenly get bellies full of food. They would still have to farm, hunt, and gather. Mages would not suddenly gain access to the Root, but have to earn it and work up to it. And so much more.

Still, it was a wish that caused many people in the Mages Association to panic the moment they heard it, and then to look towards Ruler.

"I see...so in the end, the wish was nothing like Shiro's".

"What...waht do you mean?! Clearly, that wish..."

"That wish is essentially meaning to reintroduce something that has already occured in the world before. Therefore, nothing about it is against the rules of the Grail, and is considered acceptable" Ruler explained.

"But it would reveal magic and magecraft to the world for sure!"

"Although I am to prevent innocent people from getting caught up in this, there is no rule established by the Grail to keep Magecraft and Magic hidden from the world. That is a rule only your Mages Association decided upon, and one I do not follow or enforce. In addition...I am rather interested to see how the wish would take hold".

"YOu should be able to stick around if you survive. The mana that will be released into the atmosphere should allow servants to keep themselves manifested indefinently, if they so choose".

"Now isn't that a little dangerous?"

"Well, if they decide to lead, then I suppose we will have to deal with them. But what if they just decide to enjoy life here in this era? Enjoy the food, the drinks, maybe solve a few mysteries? Yes, I am confident in my wish".

Toko said that, and looked over at everyone with an innocent smile.

"For selfish and selfless reasons, that is the wish I shall ask of the Greater Holy Grail".

* * *

The Mages Association members were trembling as they head those words. How could they not? What they just heard before was something akin to a threat, to the Mages Association, to the very existence of them.

"Damnit! Kill him! Kill that brat right now!"

"He cant be allowed to reach the Grail!"

"Finish him off! All forces, shoot him now!"

"Send in the Enforcers! All of them! And send...send the one known as Nightshade..."

"Nightshade?"

"This is an emergency situation, and we need the best".

* * *

"Hahahahahaha!"

Terry Blood could not help but break into laughter when he heard that wish.

"Of all the wishes I have ever heard about, this is the first time I have heard one like that one!"

"You don't think its dangerous then?"

"Oh, I do. But now I understand it. That boy...he is both timid, and bold. A contradiction. Yes, I think I understand him now. Still though, to think of a wish like that...he sure has come a long way...no, I made a mistake".

Inuzuka was a bit shocked when he heard Blood admit that.

"A mistake?"

"Yes. Although he is a boy...I see now, he is a worthy opponent. Someone who deserves to be called a Master, for unlike those with feeble and short sighted wishes, his Wish is truly one meant for the Greater Grail alone. Still, he will not stand in the way of my wish...but I will give him some admiration for his".

"Then, what shall we do?"

"Well, we set out with the intention of taking out one of their servants...but so far, our side has used two Command Spells while they have not used any...and that is why, I will use one of mine to make them use theirs. Zeus, by this Command Spell, bring down the lightning on top of all members of the Black Faction! Masters, Servants, and those that support them!"

"Wait, what?!"

Inuzuka was a bit shocked as he heard Terry Blood also order him to attack those supporting them.

* * *

"Haha! It is time to feel the wraith of a god!" Zeus exclaimed, as he was suddenly surging with mana. At this point, he began to conjure this huge amount of lightning over his head. It was massive in scale, far exceeding what he should need to target Sabre. And because of that, Mordred understood waht this was.

"Master! We need to use Command Spells! He is going to target the entire region...this is...this is an Anti-Regional Noble Phantasm!"

"Understood. Then by this COmmand Spell, I command you! Protect everyone you can using Avalon, without sacrificing yourself! Just do what you can, and entrust the rest to us!"

"Understood, Master!"

ANd then, Zeus amped up the level of lightning even more, and then released it as an orb of lightning that flew into the sky and shot continuous chain lightning at multiple targets. One was Sabre and Berserker, who along with any innocent civilians in the buildings nearby, were protected by Avalon. Another bolt when towards Suzuki Subaru, who utilized the power of Networked Mana to form a barrier that protected the forward command post...and yet...

"They are targeting the Archery and Sniping Club too! There is no time to reach them!"

And on the rooftop, as an excessively powerful lightning blast when and struck the spot where the Archery Club, Sniping Club, and some of the Support Club had been. From a blast like that, they would have been vaporized instantly. She felt anger and sorrow build up inside her...

"Never fear, Subaru-sempai! This is what the Support CLub is for!"

Until she heard the voice of Uzumi-chan, who should have just been vaporized on that roof. However, instead of that...a large Three Pointed Barrier had appeared in front of them, holding off the power of the Noble Phantasm that had just been used by a the god Zeus.

Indeed, on that rooftop, the three Club Members were holding hands in a line. Uzumi was in the center, with Reika and Kyouske on her left and right, respectively, all of them holding their hands forward as well to create the Tri-Barrier. In addition, their club members were using Mana Networking to give them an even larger boost...however...

The barrier began to form cracks.

"Keep pushing! If we can out last it, we shall survive!"

However, their barrier only formed more and more cracks. Still, they refused to give up or lose hope.

"Uzumi-chan..."

"What...you losing hope already Kyouske-kun? And what makes you think you can use my given name so freely?"

"Hell no...and simple...because we fought in a war together. But...I actually wanted to point out...that to withstand the attack of a god, that just proves how amazing we are right? Dont you agree Reika?"

"I suppose...that is accurate...Kyou..." Reika replied, as sweat and strain appeared on the faces of everyone there as the barrier began to crack more and more. "After all...we will never give up...never submit...as heroes of justice!"

The cracks increased further as the intense lightning continued, and even seemed to grow in strength. Still, the trio never gave up hope, and no matter what, even if it was futile, they would never acknowledge it and never abandon each other, fighting till the very end.

But then in an instant, a rush of mana was felt as the barrier began to restore itself. "Well then, it looks like my students have the right kind of spirit and guts".

And that was when another man joined the trio in creating and reinforcing the barrier, Lobo Sanchez. Master of Berserker of Black, and their teacher.

"And what a magnificent barrier this is you three. Its no wonder you were positioned together, you three are capable of exemplory teamwork. A plusses, all around. If you can keep this up that is".

Towards the challange from their teacher, the three students, despite having sweat covered faces full of strain, released mischevous and eager smiles.

"Yes sir, sensei! We will show you the power of our wills!"

At those words, Lobo could not help but look out over at the north.

"...you better come back too. Even with that crazy wish, even if we may become enemies after this...I want all my students to survive this Grail War".

And as he did, another stream of lightning went right past their position...and headed right for the school!

"I will leave that one in your hands...Serdtse-sensei!"

* * *

Serdtse-sensei watched as the lightning was approaching the center of the main campus area, along with a number of other students.

"Takeru Hoshi-kun, is everything set up?"

Takeru ran over. "Yes sir!"

"Good work then. Sorry to keep you here instead of letting you be with the others".

Serdtse-sensei then raised his hand, as several devices across the courtyard activated and raised spikes up pointing into the air.

"Now...Eternal Barrier!"

At that point, a secondary barrier raised over the entire school area, right before the lightning hit and blocked it. At the same time, Takeru Hoshi and the other elementry, middle, and high school students around got onto their hands and knees, and used Mana Networking to help power it. These students were all members of the Engineering and Robotics club, as well as the Auto Club and the Science Club.

"Everyone! Keep the barrier up and going! They are also trying to target Castor, and we cant let that happen! We cant let the source of our precious robots be eliminated!"

"Yes, Serdtse-sensei!"

* * *

And at the same time, a huge stream of lightning went right towards Toko's position as well, which also had Lancer of Black and Assassin of Black.

However, there was a factor in play that everyone had temporarily forgotten about. That was Horus' smoke that he had created. It was not just normal smoke, but also disrupted mana, mainly mana involved in targeting, information gathering, and tracking. In other words, for that position, the lightning bolts scattered and hit randomly across the battlefield, instead of hitting their marks. Furthermore, the fact was that the position was the furtherest away from Zeus, so that did not help as he was not an Archer to begin with.

"Don't you have any idea how dangerous and stupid that idea is though?!" Dr. Warren said with anger. "You would be releasing monsters into the world! You would be bringing back gods that we dont really know enough about!"

"Glasses guy..." Toko said, which caused Horus to remember his earlier vision again, and go on guard. "This world is dying the way it is. People are suffering, life is being needlessly sacrificed. We have to embrace the unknown".

"My name is not Glasses guy...its Dr. Warren!"

"Well thats a lie if I ever heard one".

The moment he said that, Dr. Warren made a frusterated and angry expression.

"Thats it! Enforcers, kill him now! Simon-kun, order Berserker to kill him!"

"Fine fine...Berserker, crush him. He is still...wait what?!"

Simon ordered Berserker to charge and kill him as several Enforcers also approached, weapons in hand as they began to fire magical projectiles at Toko. But, the boy who was clearly tired and spent before after utilizing those Artificial Noble Phantasms...was now clearly more energized and refreshed! And that was when he noticed it...Mana Circuits embedded into the ground.

Mana Networking was not something that was limited to just the city and school area...it had been set up across the entire region. And it was a skill they were learning how to use outside of those regions as well. And although Toko had been the main focus, Dr. Warren remembered seeing other students gathering at the perimeter of the combat zone...which meant...

He looked over, and saw they were contributing to Mana Networking.

"You have got to be...so they can do it here too?!"

He had been recieving reports about it through the telepathic network they had set up, but...this was the first time he was seeing it like this and out here. They all thought it was limited to the city and campus areas.

"Now, lets go!" Toko said as he wielded his Moonscale Blades, the Noble Phantasm still active from earlier. Berserker came down to strike at him, but suddenly was cut all over from rapid attacks as Horus revealed himself. However, unlike what one might expect based on the previous encounters...

However, it seemed that Berserker's resistant to metal based attacks did not apply. That made sense of course, because what Horus had used was special Egyptian Blades, made of wood and reinforced with mana.

But before Toko and Berserker could reach each other, several Enforcers from the Mages Association came to attack him. Toko ducked down as one swung a blade, and slashed his chest with enough force to knock him to the ground. Another came down with a battleaxe, but Toko dodged backwards and kicked the blade, breaking it as he jumped up and kicked in his head while using it as a foothold to jump forward. Two more came to stop him, but Toko rolled underneath and slashed their legs, causing them to fall into the mud.

Another one came charging forth, trying to get Toko before he could get back into position, but Toko did something that looked like a back flip, then pushed off against the ground with a speed that let him take the guy down in an instant, with no one really able to see how he did it. However, the moves he used looked a mix of lethal and non-lethal, not leaning in either direction, just in that they were used to quickly dispatch opponents. Others were firing magical projectiles from afar, but Toko never stopped moving and dodged them all as he ran towards the goal.

Meanwhile, Horus went and moved around to Berserker's blind spot, and continued his relentless assault. That said, Berserker seemed to start instinctively learning his moves, and tried to counter...

"Kwa!"

When a falcon raced down from the sky at super fast speeds and used razor sharp wings to cut through Berserker as well.

"Nice work Iris! Now, special move...Dual Cross Slash!"

Horus and Iris then worked together to continue cutting up Berserker of Red. Simon looked rather displeased with the current outcome. He looked over to Dr. Warren, however...he had already retreated.

"Fine then..." he said, looking over towards where Lancer of Black was thrown. "It wont take much longer for her to return probably. Berserker, we are pulling out!"

Simon then retreated himself, but as he looked over at Berserker.

"Now! Moonscale Crossslash!"

And this time adjusting the power a little better, he sent the attack at Berserker who was trying to retreat...and cut right through it, killing it for sure this time.

And then, Toko started to stumble somewhat.

"Ah...still need to work...on adjustments" he noted to himself, realizing he needed to train with his Noble Phantasms more...

* * *

Arrows and bullets continued to fly as Icarus and Billy fought each other. Billy dodged another volley of Icarus' arrows, while Icarus evaded being shot by Billy's bullets. Between the two Archers, it was a stalemate of sorts. Of course, both of them had trump cards they could use on each other, but the issue was that they were both Archers. They both understood that they both had trump cards, abilities to pull from in times of crisis, and that they would know what the other was doing when they tried it.

And so, as Icarus fired off another barrage of arrows, Billy intercepted them again, and counter attacked, while Icarus then dodged. They kept trying different methods. Icarus fired and held some arrows back for later. Billie fired at the spots he would predict Icarus to be. But they were always watching each other, always watching their eyelines and body movement.

Because of that, the two were locked in a stalemate situation, with neither one able to win against the other. The only thing that Icarus had over Billy, was that Billy's Master used a Command Spell to help Billy survive the lightning from earlier. However, Inuzuka was opposed to using Command Spells unless it was absolutely necessary, and this didn't feel like it was that time.

And then, that was when Icarus got a message.

"Seems like thats all for today! See ya later!"

"What? Seriously! We are not done here yet!"

"Well, it seems like everyone is pulling out now, sooooo...we can do this laters!"

"Why you...this is an old fashioned shoot out! We cant just pause it here and finish later! Get back here!"

* * *

Rider continued to cut, and slash, and cut, as the seemingly endless robots attacked her from close range and long range. She had seen some crazy lightning from before, but she was too busy fighting off all these things. As she slashed down at another, two more attacked from behind, a few attacked using blaster like weapons from long range, and one of them somehow fired off a rocket propelled fist right at her and punched her in the face.

So when she got the order from her Master to retreat, although she acted annoyed, she was actually perfectly fine with it and pulled back.

"It seems the battle is done for today. But mark my words Castor, I will kill you".

"I look forward to you helping play with the children and keeping them entertained later!"

"Shut the hell up!"

* * *

As the Sabres clashed and conflicted...it had suddenly become three versus one. Lancer pulled back all of a sudden and disappeared, and now Sabre, Rider, and Berserker were all on him.

Even if he was a god...

"Hmmf. It seems that is all for today. But next time, Sabre, we will settle this...ourselves..."

And with those words, he disappeared into spirit form and faded away.

The moment he was gone, Sabre collapsed to her hands and knees, exauhsted.

"Nicely done Mordred" Rider said, complimenting her as he helped her up.

"Thanks...by the way, I lost track of you during the battle..."

"Sorry. I had to ensure civilians were safe in other areas, and monitor the situation. So I used my bow and fired at long range. Things were getting a bit intense, so my Master had to use a Command Spell".

"Ha...well, whatever. I still managed to get a feel for him. Next time, I will kick his divine ass".

"I hear we were able to defeat Berserker of Red up north. His whole body got wiped out by Assassin and his Master, after being weakened and softened by our Lancer".

"Huh...an Assassin defeated a Berserker. Well, I guess if he had help, it makes sense..."

"I also heard his wish...and wow is it something".

"Wait, really? For you to say that...what was it?"

"A Second Age of the Gods..."

Those words sent shock, and even some worry and fear, through Sabre...though, she quickly returned to an energetic look.

"Too bad. It sounds like a cool wish, but I will be the one claiming the Grail when this is all done".

And thus, the battle settled as midnight approached...but not all was done stirring...

* * *

"Master? You summoned me?" Lancer of Red asked as he appeared in the middle of a forest, where he sensed his master. However...that was when he found his Master on the ground, unconscious. Lancer tried to move towards him, but then he too found himself unable to move as a black cloaked figure stepped out into view. "Wh..at...who...are...you..."

"That is not so important...but, I suppose you can call me Master. And its time to get to work, Servant".

* * *

**AN: **Status Update! This is what is known right now!

Simon: Used at least one Command Spell on Berserker of Red.

Mika: Used one Command Spell on Billy.

Rune: Used one Command Spell on Assassin.

Suzuki: Used one Command Spell on Sabre.

Terry: Used one Command Spell on Zeus.

Malcom: Used one Command Spell on Rider.

Luca: Kidnapped along with Lancer.

Anyways, finally got to reveal Toko's wish! I hope you all enjoyed! Cant wait to read the reactions!


	10. Chapter 10: The Day After

Chapter 10: The Day After

* * *

Anyone else wish their school was as awesome as this one? Also, beware the power that is Sherlock Holmes!

* * *

Toko had finally managed to sleep soundly, after last night. Of course, it was tough, intense, and dangerous, but it worked out in the end. He was also happy that he didn't have a conflict with Ruler, and his wish was accepted, although he was confident that it would be accepted to start with.

It wasn't even that much of a secret to be honest. Lots of people knew. No one just bothered asking before.

And as the morning sun peeked in through the window, and Toko felt the morning sun bathe across his body...he began to stir and...

"...it feels breezy..."

That was the first thing Toko noticed as he started to awaken. It felt warm, really warm, but also...breezy...

And then, as he became more awake and aware, he felt a presence next to him, snoring. They were both in his bed, and very much naked. And while Toko slept with his body eagle spread, Horus did the same, so parts of them were overlapping with each other.

"Hu...huuh?!" Toko said as he shifted from the surprise, and fell out of bed and onto his back, disrupting Horus in the process.

"H..huh? Oh, good morning Toko".

"Horus...why are you...why are we..."

"Why? Remember, I told you there was a risk that the enemy might try to assassinate you in your sleep, and that I would be sleeping in the same bed as you".

"But...I dont remember taking my clothes off".

"Oh, I did that for you".

"Y-you did what?!"

"Trust me, you wanted me to" Horus said, pointing at the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. There was a combination of mud, dirt, and blood stains on it, as well as scorch marks here and there. And when Toko got closer...they could be smelled from there.

"What the..."

"Yep. There was no way I was letting either of us sleep next to that stink" Horus said as he jumped out of bed. However, then he started to sniff Toko, which made Toko's face turn red as a tomato. "...and you need a bath. Come on, lets go take a bath".

Horus suddenly grabbed two towels, flinging one over his shoulder and another over Toko's before taking Toko's hand and heading towards the door. Incidentally, there was a world of difference between Suzuki's room and Toko's room, for one thing Toko's room was only about one third the size, and also did not possess its own bath and shower. For his boy's dorm, there were only communal baths, toilets, and showers.

"W-wait...like this?! At least let me wrap it around my waist!" Toko pleaded as he was practically dragged out into the hall and down to the baths completely naked. He desperately tried to use his towel to at least cover his front, but could do nothing to cover his behind.

That said, while he was certainly embarrassed, he was not the only one. In the Elementary Boy's Dorm, plenty of other boys were also walking either with their towel wrapped around their waist, or even flung over their shoulder. Some were actually still groggy, and were dragging it along the floor with them, while others did not even have towels. Some were clad in just a shirt or a shirt and boxers also, but they didn't look like they were heading towards the baths.

Maybe because it was all pre-teen boys, but there was absolutely no sense of shame. As Horus expected, Toko was likely suffering a bit of trauma still from what happened to him, if he was exposed to this every day and still shy. Horus was sure of it now.

Of course, some had already bathed, gone back to their rooms, and gotten dressed, so there were others already dressed. Fitting the warm season, they were mainly wearing T shirts and shorts. Although...

"Were those boys wearing skirts? Was that a cross dressers thing?"

"Wh-what?! No. Ever since we all started developing Magecraft, and learning the truth about other cultures, students in the Debate Clubs and Culture Clubs have been investigating other cultures and how they dressed. Then, someone, probably someone in the debate club, started to argue against the idea of gender specific clothing, pointing out that it was a silly concept to begin with".

Toko explained that to Horus as they finally reached the bathing room. There were plenty of hooks to put towels on, and even spare towels in case someone forgot theirs, lost theirs, or had theirs stolen. The last one often being the most common. There didn't seem to be a hook for clothing though.

"Huh...I just figured it would be fine, but...there isn't even any place at all to store clothes here".

"Well of course" another boy said with an energetic grin. "Its all boys here after all, so why bother, right Toko?"

"Ah...well..."

"Huh...Toko, you seem shyer then usual..." the boy said with a look of mischief. He quickly moved around and wrapped his arm around Toko's neck in a friendly way as he pulled him in close. Horus could only imagine how shy and embarrassed Toko felt at that moment, all that direct physical contact. "...did something interesting happen...wait...oh right, you have a room mate now! I heard ancient cultures did not wake until adulthood to have adult fun, is that true for Egyptians?"

"Wh-what?! It was nothing like that!"

Horus just laughed. "So I was right. I figured it was just about his body he was nervous about! He seemed like the active type to me!"

"What? No, thats not true. In fact, every morning he would always come here towel over the shoulder, well unless he was groggy and dragging it on the ground, or forgot it, but would always be super social and friendly. He doesn't have anything like that".

And then, Horus' mind temporarily stopped working as he processed this new detail, and compared it with the past.

"Wait...wait wait wait what?! But...so far, every time I have seen him..."

"Thats because it was you! Do you not know how embarrassing it is, to be stripped by someone else?"

As Toko said that, the other boy also got a red face.

"Ah yeah...that would do it..."

And hearing that, Horus thought back to those moments...and realized something...

"Hold on...but, what about the nervousness you felt when I was first summoned?"

"Of course I was nervous! You have a Noble Phantasm that lets you pick up all sorts of weird details! I didn't want you learning any weird details about me, and especially didn't want to risk you spreading them around!"

Now that Horus thought about it, it was true that each and every time, Horus had been the one to strip Toko. And there was the time Suzuki did it, but he actually seemed less embarrassed then...

In other words, it was less Toko being shy, and more Horus being the cause of it this whole time. Although, he was pretty sure part of it was still Toko actually being shy. The kid was broken mentally though torture after all. Repeatedly.

Eventually, the three of them rinsed off and then hit the baths...and...

"Ahhhh...what...what is this bliss..."

"Always so good~"

"Sooo niiiicceeee~"

Horus questioned, while Toko and the other boy just had normal bliss sounds.

"What is this? Enhanced by Magecraft or something?"

"Noooo...all the dorm baths are actually hot springs~"

"Its sooooo goooooooood~"

"Its great to have a soak so early~"

"Agreeeeeed~"

"Hot springs are the greatest thing ever~"

"By the way, you can call me Sho. Or Sho-kun really. What is your name?"

"My name is Hoshi Takeru. Nice to meet you".

"Hey, Takeru-kun...so then...these sweet, blissful, heavenly waters..."

"Hooot sppprrriiiinnnggssss~"

"Soooo goooood~"

Horus, reading the mood, decided to accept it was well.

"It is wonderful~"

"Indeed~" Suzuki said as she floated next to them, much to the shock of everyone this time. Needless to say which two out of the three there got embarrassed.

"Suzuki-neechan! Why are you here?!"

"Suzuki-sempai?!"

"Obviously, I am on duty today to help give the elementry schoolers baths and to ensure proper safety!"

Of course, the Elementry School Baths had to be monitored in case someone slipped, or accidentally fell under the water, or such to prevent any accidents. However...

"That said...I am also here on serious business. Toko, do you know where Ren and Lancer went after the battle?"

The somewhat chaotic and silly atmosphere suddenly turned serious.

"No...didn't she return to the girls dorms?"

"Thats what I thought, but this morning I was asked by some of her friends if I had seen her. Apparently, after your battle last night, she seemed to have disappeared as well, along with Lancer. I went to check in with Serdtse-sensei and Sanchez-sensei, but they also seemed to have run off, though they were seen this morning so I dont think its related...probably".

"Oh, I see...well, good luck on your search and..."

And then, she grabbed Toko and Takeru.

"Now, lets get you puppies properly washed".

""Please stop teasing us!""

* * *

"Well, why have you called us out here Ruler? And why together?"

Rune asked that question as he leaned up against a tree. ALong with him was Set, who was also present, but that was not all. In addition, there was also the two teachers who were masters from the Black Faction, Stal'noye Serdtse and Lobo Sanchez. Also, Inuzuka Takashi, Marco Galeazzo, and all their servants were there, summoned by the Ruler, Sherlock Holmes.

"After last nights battle, no one is planning any more attacks for the day, however a situation has caused me to temporarily halt hostilities for the moment anyways to deal with a certain issue. I have become aware that Lancer and Berserker of Red, along with their masters, have gone missing, as well as Lancer of Black. And that, neither side was responsible for the disappearance of all three".

That last sentence put some shock into their faces.

"Hold on...how did you know...and wait, they are not responsible?!"

Sanchez asked that, with some clear concern.

"That is why I am calling you here. I already investigated the moment I felt a strange pressence and an interference in the Grail War, and determined that someone is attempting to interfere".

As expected of the great Sherlock Holmes, he had already gotten far in his investigation despite it only being a few hours.

"In addition, I have determined what direction they were taken".

"Huh? HOld on, could you stop for a moment, and tell us how both Servants and Masters were kidnapped?"

"There is no time for that. However, we must hurry. You see, with the Black Faction watching the skies, city, ocean, and school area, and the Red faction on the other side, the only way they could go that would not require them going through Black Faction or Red Faction forces is the mountains north of here. There is a small town there, and the only way out of the region that doesnt require going through both forces is a train. The trains do not run at night, only around mid day till afternoon, but it is morning now, so..."

"Right. So this is on the orders of Ruler? Why not involve everyone?"

"Because whoever did this is stealthy and perceptive. Therefore, we need a small group, small but versitile. The Sabres attract too much attention, but all of you should be capable. And yes, as my place as Ruler, I am ordering everyone to not fight each other and help me investigate the mountain village".

"So then..." Inuzuka said, stepping up to face Ruler. "Tell us. Why is this so important?"

"Simple. To kidnap three Masters and three Servants, the only way to do that is if they possessed some means to manipulate the Holy Grail War. As Ruler, I cannot allow this to continue. And neither can you, if it means a third side wants the Greater Grail. Especially if they can bring three Servants down with them. Now, we must stop delaying and leave. Castors, if you will?"

"Fine then. If I must".

"I guess together it should be fine".

The two combined their magic, and used Magecraft to suddenly teleport themselves up the mountain and to the town. Although there were still a lot of unanswered questions, no one felt like tempting fate and losing favor with Ruler.

"Welcome to Starken? Thats a weird name for this area" Marco commented as he saw the sign, while the group entered the local bus terminal to look at a map and get the lay of the land. Icarus volenteed to fly up, but they didn't want to risk the enemy noticing and reacting. That said, no one made any comment about the fact the group themselves looked weird. Old men, young boys, old fashioned looking businessmen. Still, they were foc...

"Set! Rune! Marco! Everyone!" Icarus said, appearing as a normal human boy as he pointed at a sign. "Look! This town is famous for hot springs! Lets go try some!"

It was something completely irrelivent to why they were there, but they just sighed none the less.

Actually, in truth, several of the servants secretly did want to try modern hot springs, while many of the Masters wanted to go in and relieve the stress built up during the Holy Grail War. But, that was besides the point. They had a mission to do.

Not to mention...

"There are no people here..."

There was not a single person around that they could see.

"I cant sense...hold on" Serdtse said, noticing someting in the distance. "I sense three people, a few blocks down, who are active. However, either no one is around aside from them, or everyone is asleep. That said...those three are radiating an impressive amount of magic..."

Sherlock Holmes went to look at the map to help determine where they were and come up with a plan, but...

"Lets go investigate! Come on everyone! You too Inuzuka! Lets catch them and have some fun!"

"Hold it..." Sherlock started to say, before Icarus ran off, with Rune and Set chasing behind, followed by his actual Master Inuzuka and Marco who somehow got caught up in it. Meanwhile, Castor of Red approached him.

"What an energetic bunch. So, where is it coming from? At least we can prepare".

"Sure, let me se...oh..."

"What?" Castor of Black asked.

"I think Archer of Red very well knew where it was coming from. Being an Archer, he probably understood between his ability to sense things at long range, and his ability to make spacial measurements...it was coming from the hot springs..."

"THen Inuzuka followed..."

"...probably to avoid a worst case scenario. Well, we better follow..."

The group decided to follow the rowdy bunch, being led around by Icarus who may have been following his own whims.

* * *

"Hold it right there, criminal scum!" Icarus shouted as he slammed open the door to a hot springs bath. However, despite his rushed appearance, it was clear he took some time as he was only in a towel. Rune and Set were behind him, although they were partially wondering how they got wrapped up in all of this. As for who was in there...it was an odd sight.

There were two girls and one boy there, all washing each other off casually without any sense of shame inbetween them. That was...until Icarus came in. Then they eached grabbed the bucket they had been sitting on and used it to cover themselves.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Eh...so...wait...are they not involved?"

And that was when the others finally caught up to them and...

"Wait?! Is that you three? Kyouske-kun, Reika-chan, Uzumi-chan?"

Lobo was shocked to see his three students. He was also shocked initially to see them all naked and sharing a private hot springs bath together, but then again, they were childhood friends and got along great together, so that made a bit of sense. But not why they were here.

"Sanchez-sensei?! Serdtse-sensei?!" they asked in shock, embarrassed.

"Well, this is the second time now, but I admit this time is our bad".

"Second time?" Sherlock Holmes asked as he walked up behind them.

"Those three, also known by some in our school as the idiot trio despite their good grades, once snuck into the Teacher's Hot Spring Bath in the Teacher's building. Me and Serdtse-sensei caught them".

"Oh...that was awkward. Did they get punished?"

"Of course. The warning of how they would be punished was written in the hand book, engraved on a metal plate bolted on a wall by the entrance, and also written down. They had to get out, write an essay explaining how they knew it was wrong, in detail, and then walk back to the dorms. Without getting dressed".

"Is that accepted?"

"They accepted it when they broke the rules despite knowing the punishment..."

"Can we please get over that! Why are you here!"

"We are investigating kidnapings of Masters and Servants on both sides, under suspicious circumstances. What are you three doing here?"

"Well, after the battle, classes were canceled for tomorrow so everyone could rest..."

"...so the three of us decided to come here, and enjoy the famous hot springs..."

"...and we just got here like, an hour ago...".

"Wait...were there people here an hour ago?"

"Yes...wait, what do you mean were?"

"Everyone is town has vanished...you mean, you three didn't notice?"

"We were in here the whole time. Well, admittedly..."

The three of them turned around with red faces, and Magic Circles to resist and stop mental intereference were there, along with detection. Of course, those would only work at long range, but there was no reason for anyone on either side to come up here, except for the hot springs of course.

"That cant be all..."

"Its not. In fact, the magic circles they used are slightly different from normal ones. It looks like one of those...prevents soul detection?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Most of the power is going into that...in other words, whatever did this has some power over souls".

Before the group could continue any further though, they heard a loud sound coming from another part of town. The sound of a train whistle.

"Everyone, get dressed and get ready! The enemy must be on that train!"

That was when he looked back at the idiot trio.

"...actually, there is one last thing I need to know..."

* * *

"Its about time you got back" Terry Blood mentioned as Rider of Red and her master entered the room. "For some reason, every single other damn person seems to be missing around here. But its convienent because I need to ask you about something. You and your Servant".

Indeed. Two of them were kidnapped, three of them went missing afterwards, so it left only those two there right now. Although, the Black Faction was also still tired from last night and lacked the means to attack either, plus unknown to them, three of them were occupied with something.

And that was when he raised his sword towards Kasai Kori and Rider of Red.

"Who the hell is your Servant?"

"I thought we already..."

"No, I allowed that because I was already sure on her identity. She appeared during the last Greater Grail War after all. But now, for some reason, Mordred appeared as the Black Faction's Sabre...so who the hell are you, Rider of Red, since you cant be Mordred".

In response to that, only laughter came from Rider of Red as she went for her helmet, and took it off. And then, even Terry Blood was shocked.

"Well then, I think you have been duped, because I AM Mordred" she replied. "So I would like to know also, who the hell has decided to pretend to be me!"

* * *

**AN:** I was so sorely tempted to rename this one the Hot Springs episode. So, so, so terribly tempted. Also, gotta admire the strong friendship between that Trio...and also question if they really get good grades...

Anyways, with Sherlock Holmes around, no mystery is safe for long! Beware the greatest detective...but...just because they can find the issue, and deduce it...does that mean they will be able to defeat it?


	11. Chapter 11: The Great Train Battle

Chapter 11: The Great Train Battle

* * *

As response to some reviews, note that the actual winner of the Grail War has still not been chosen. However, factors are going to include details about their personalities, wishes, history, and any requests that may have been made over PM over character development and possible mini-plots. After all, this is a story after all, so the wish that is best granted has to feel the best story wise.

That said, I wont say who, or how, or why, but I have been eliminating possibilities as I go, and the pool is getting narrowed down.

* * *

Glug glug glug.

"""Ahhhhhh...""" the three boys exhaled, as they drank some of their coffee milk. The vending machine was in a waiting and resting area connected to the baths, so it was easy to access. Especially after going through the experienced of being bathed by Suzuki. It would probably be more okay, but she always does it with such energy...even Horus got embarrassed, and Horus doesnt even get embarrassed just when he himself is naked around people, let alone all three of them.

That said...

"Is it me, or does it feel abnormally peaceful today?"

"Everyone is probably just tired. Lets just appreciate it while we can".

"That said...I dont sense Lancer, Castor, or Berserker...I wonder where they went?"

* * *

Right as the group arrived at the Train Station, they were immediately attacked. Not by Servants, or Mages, or even people...

Ruler managed to arrive right behind them, and instead saw what was in their way as weird humanoid blobs of red. They looked unfinished, weird, and disgusting.

"Activate Noble Phantasm! Warrior Priest Servants!" Set announced, as several Warrior Priests, both men and women, wearing revealing clothing one would expect from Ancient Egypt, a Desert Empire, to have, along with weapons.

"Activate Noble Phantasm! Twin Hunters: Apollemis!" Icarus also announced, summoning his two bows and attacking them with full force. He had also re-equiped his normal fighting clothes.

"Berserker, we need to get on that train before it leaves!" Lobo announced as he ran forward towards the train. "We cant let it leave! The kidnapped are definently on board!"

"There you are Ruler! Come on, you are a Servant, and this is your task, so keep up!"

"Hmf. I may be a Servant, but I am still Sherlock Holmes. I never go in without a plan".

* * *

"Uhhg...what the hell is that loud racket..." Ren complained, as she began to wake up. Wherever she was though, it felt chilly...chilly and cold, and when she opened her eyes...

"Ah. Dont look at me. This was not my idea".

There was a boy in front of her, with his hands bound behind his back and his ankles bound in front of him, with his knees curled up as well. However, he also didn't seem to be wearing any clothing at all...and in fact...

Ren tried to struggle as she realized it, but could not move in the slightest. There was also another man, older then both of them, in the same way.

The way they were stored at least prevented anyone from seeing anything, as everyone's knees were raised in front of them, but it was clearly uncomfortable. But then, what was even more noticable, was their right hands. The Command Seals felt like they were burning, and they were also glowing a little.

"Don't bother. Whatever is going on with them, we cant use them to summon our Servants. My name is Simon Agravain, by the way".

"You can call me Luca. Luca Jones".

It appeared those two woke up first, given that they had already calmed themselves down. It appeared they were in some sort of train car though.

"What the hell happened?! I was just walking back, and then...and then..."

"And then I stopped you" the hooded figure said, as it seemed to suddenly appear in the room. Or maybe it was always there, and somehow no one noticed.

"What the hell! Who are you!? What did you do to us?! Why are we naked?! What is going on here?!"

"Well, it is quite simple" the hooded figure said. "I own you now. And as pets, you don't really need clothing right? Not if I say you dont, because you are my Servants. You and those Heroic Spirits, all belong to me. I am the rightful owner of the seals on your hands, and the beings you have summoned. And this way, you wont ignore me. Don't worry about freezing to death though, this train will keep you properly heated to survive the trip through the snowy mountains".

"What the hell are you, to be able to disable Masters and Servants like that? NO normal human could be capable of it".

"Who the hell said I was normal?!"

Even though the grey robed figure seemed calm and composed, it was becoming very clear to Ren and the others it had some issues. Whether they were issues that could be manipulated, or issues that could get them killed if they brought up, was unclear though.

"Besides, its captive taking 101. Strip them naked, and you can psychologically dominate them always, plus there exists zero chance for them to have hidden Magecraft and weapons they might use against you. Not that you could actually harm me that is. Simon, stand up, do a spin, do all sorts of stretches for one minute, and then sit back down into position. Everyone else, watch without looking away".

Suddenly, their bodies seemed to move and act on their own, as Simon was forced to do as he was told, before finally being allowed to sit back down.

"See? Even your Servants cannot resist my command. Lancers, appear. Berserker, appear as well".

Suddenly, the two Lancers, and even the Berserker that should have died, appeared.

"By the way, Simon. That was an interesting Noble Phantasm I witnessed. I bet no one saw it, you taking out a Lighter for a split second, igniting a spark, and using a Command Seal with that to activate Berserker's Noble Phantasm...no, I should use his True Name, Amirani".

"How do you know all this?!" Simon said, a little freeked out. As carefree and casual as he usually was, this situation was bizzare even for a Grail War.

"Well, it is really quite simple. I am better then you. Better then everything. And once I obtain the Greater Grail, I will have everything I desire".

"How are you going to do that? Even if you have some weird magic to stop us, and our Servants, if you had the power to manipulate the Greater Grail, you would have done so. But there is no such power, because nothing is more powerful then the Greater Grail..."

Luca started to antagonize him, much to the dismay of the others. None of them could even do Magecraft, so neither Ren nor Simon understood why he was risking their lives like this.

"Lies! I shall prove I am better! I will not allow myself to be ignored any more!"

"So, you are upset because you were never allowed to be in a Grail War? Because you were never given Command Seals?"

"I dont need to be given Command Seals! I have plenty of my own!" the figure declared, pulling up the arm of his robe and revealing his arm, which was littered with countless Command Seals. More then they felt like counting.

However, this did let Simon learn something.

_So that is why Berserker is here, even though I still have two Command Seals back. It seems he is able to seal our ability to use them, and even take control of our Servants, but he cant make us use our own Command Seals...that said...I can still feel Berserker's spirit. The control, its not complete. Although it appears he took full control, it seems limited. Likely, he sealed our Command Seals so we cant use them to take our Servants back..._

Simon was already trying to think of a way out, although things did not look very good. An unknown enemy with unknown power, capable of manipulating Servants and Command Seals. Whoever this was, it was Servant Class Strength on his own at least. Or Servant Class Danger anyways...

"Well now, that is certainly a large number of Command Seals" another voice said in a british accent. They three turned their heads, which was about the only thing they could move, and saw the others.

"Serdtse-sensei! Sanchez-sensei!" Ren shouted in genuine happiness, though as she remembered why, her face turned red. "Don't look at me!"

"Is now really the time? Please, feel free to look at us if it means you can rescue us!" Simon shouted.

Ruler suddenly took out a firearm created with Magecraft, and shot it at the cloaked figure. This caused the figure to open the train door, and then jump and escape onto the roof!

"Everyone, hurry! We cant let it get away!"

"Please untie us first!"

"There is no time! Everyone, leave them here for now and chase them! Come on Watson!"

The group followed Ruler, listening to the dangerous situation, heading up to the roof as well, with two singular exception. While the ten others went up, they remained behind to help. It was Serdtse-sensei and Castor remained behind, and began to help Ren, his student, and the others out of the magical bindings, taking out what appear to be automated tools they held to their magical bindings to help open it.

Meanwhile, the others emerged. Castor of Red took position in front of Marco, to protect the boy as he focused on a singular Magecraft: A barrier that would protect them all from harm. Lobo and Berserker took the first step forward, but then felt a strange pulse inside their bodies as the hooded figure had raised their hand, and caused them to stop in their tracks.

"Tell me, why do you think I did not command those three Servants to attack you? Do you not understand yet? You cannot defeat me, and Ruler lacks the power. And to think, the Ruler was Sherlock Holmes of all people. I thought it might be someone bothersome like Joan of Arc, but to think it was just you..."

"Although it is true Joan of Arc is the best choice, I believe I understand a few reasons why I was chosen...such as being able to figure out who you are, without even using my Noble Phantasms!"

"What the hell was that?!"

"I heard everything before we arrived you see, and based on what you said, I know exactly who and what you are, as well as what your plans are!"

"How could you possibly!? That train sealed with my ingenius power!"

That was when Rune held out his hand with his fingers making the V for Victory while sticking his tongue out.

"You see, I actually placed a Rune on Luca that let me listen in on everything".

Indeed, flashing back to last night, Rune had done exactly that the moment Luca ran off. Luca was unaware of it too, so even if the cloaked figure had scanned his mind, he would not have known about it.

"Yes, and from the information relayed, I have come to realize something. You despise them, Masters and Servants. It was not just for safety reasons, or really for psychological dominated. You just wanted to humiliate them. You hated them, despised them. Because they never satisfied you, because they ignored you...because they even attacked you before, correct?"

The hooded figure seemed to growl in response to that, a growl of anger and rage as it was reminded of that.

"So much hatred, you have been corrupted so much, that you dont care what you do to make them squirm and suffer".

A bloodlust could be felt coming from him, powerful and dangerous. Set prepared his daggers, Icarus his bows, and the others all started to prepare their own attacks and tricks.

"You think you can defeat me with your petty Noble Phantasms and abilities?!"

Ruler however seemed to motion to them to stand down.

"Of course not. Aside from me and Watson, I doubt the others can actually harm you. After all, from everything I said, from all the details I mentioned, and then adding in your ability to manipulate Command Seals, the Masters with them, and Servants...from what you said, you can only be...the Lesser Grail!"

Suddenly, the wind whipped away the figure's hood, and Kirei Kotomine...or rather, his corpse, with a weird melted golden circle on his chest, possessed by the Lesser Grail...was revealed there. "I suppose it makes sense you would possess that person out of everyone you could..."

"I am not the Lesser Grail! I will not be neglected! I will not be discarded! I will not be ignored!"

"Ruler, what is going on?" Inuzuka asked, as not even he was quite sure what was going on. He had pieced together most of it, but he was still missing some pieces. Everyone else however was entirely lost and surprised.

"Simple. In the first three Fuyuki Grail Wars, the Grail War was never really concluded in time, and a wish was never granted. In the fourth and fifth, two different people, though both with the last name of Emiya, ended up attacking and destroying the Grail. And now, with the Greater Holy Grail Wars, the Lesser Grail was bypassed all together. It seems, that as it was unable to complete its wish, and after being as it saw as 'Neglected', 'discarded' or 'attacked', and then 'ignored', its spirit possessed Kirei Kotomine and his Command Seals, and decided to take action. Thats why it can do everything it can. Thats why its impossible for any Masters or Servants to fight it".

"Yes! I shall not be defeated! Not be the likes of you, or anyone else!"

It raised out its hand, and the Masters began to feel their Command Spells burn while their Servants also felt crippling pain.

"We have to do...something...what about you and Watson...wait, when did..."

That was when everyone, even the Grail, finally noticed there was an extra person there...the one that had been called "Watson".

And in that moment, as the train began to turn on the tracks around a mountain, a sniper bullet shot the hand off of Grail.

And from hundreds of meters away, Hanaba Kyouske-kun looked through his scope at Grail.

"Operation is a go! Now, Reika, Uzumi!"

And on the train, the mirage of "Watson" disappeared as Reika and Uzumi appeared in its place. Reika had a bow out, and fired several arrows at it, while Uzumi drew dual swords and charged at Grail, slashing at him.

"What the?!"

"As I deduced, the ability to capture both Masters and Servants meant you had some way to manipulate and disable them. So, learning these three were here, before I left I decided to recruit them as my assistants".

* * *

Flashing back to before...

The reason Ruler was the last to arrive was because of this...

"You want us to gear up and follow that plan?"

"You can do it right?"

"Yeah, we have the tools ready, and Black Faction already prepared some things for operations in this area, just in case".

"Then, I want you to cover us with sniper support, Kyouske-kun, while Reika-chan and Uzumi-chan use a special magic tool to imitate Watson and follow us discreetly. Rather then this culprit being powerful, I think he might just have some specific abilities. So...its possible the ones who would threaten him the most are people who are not Mages or Servants, which is why he targeted those who were alone, nowhere near the students or Mages Association support staff".

"Got it, you can count on us Ruler!" they said, giving a childish salute, before remembering they were still naked and covering up again with red cheeks.

* * *

And now, the result of that plan was being shown.

The three of them were currently dressed in specialized cold weather battle gear, instead of their school uniforms, although the gear had the school logos on them. Reika would fight both in close quarters and at range with a bow, while Uzumi focused on close range attacks and using magic items as support.

Meanwhile, Kyouske was using pre-established teleportation markers across multiple points in the mountains to keep being able to target Grail, even as the train moved forward. And this also let him attack at random and unpredictable angles.

Although Ruler felt it was somewhat silly, to have a battle in a Grail War that did not involve Masters or Servants, there was absolutely...

"What the?!"

And suddenly, several arrows came out of nowhere and hit Grail. Inuzuka just let out a chuckle.

"Another thing we both probably noticed, is that it seems he has a certain range in which he can do that. And right now, Icarus is well out of his range".

It seems Red Faction was raking in the achievments right now, or rather Inuzuka and Icarus mainly. Even if Inuzuka was in pain, Icarus was well out of range of Grail's abilities...or really, almost everyone's range in general.

And with that opening, Uzumi ran up and slashed his legs, sweeping them immediately after to trip him up. Reika then moved in, and kicked upward while he was falling to send him up into the air, where Kyouske shot at him more while Uzumi jumped up and downward kicked him right into the train car, for Reika then to kick right in the stomach as he bounced back up from recoil and Kyousuke shot him in the head.

Reika then fired several more arrows at him, while Uzumi ran up and went to stab downward into him...

"Enough!" Grail shouted, created a shockwave to knock them back.

Grail, who had incapacited Masters and Servants with ease, was now being beaten back by a bunch of kids without Servant Class powers or Magecraft. Maybe if it was one, or even two, it would be fine. Icarus was helping for sure, but the real reason he was getting beaten back...was the teamwork between those three. They were comboing attacks and acting like a well trained military unit rather then a bunch of kids. In retrospect, they probably would have very promising careers if they worked together as a mercenary group.

And creating that shockwave did not even help, as it left him open for Kyousuke to shoot at some more. He created a barrier to try and block it, but Kyousuke was using a sniper rifle made from and enhanced with Magecraft. The barrier was not going to hold for long.

"I will not be defeated by a bunch of brats who are less then me!"

It seemed the battle had only just begun...

* * *

**AN:** Haha! I bet that really shocked everyone, learning who the hooded figure was! His name will now officially be Grail BTW. And wow, he really is holding a grudge...

Also, I considered others ways to display this, but I thought it might be a bit mean to brutally torture three characters through pain and blades at this stage. :3


	12. Chapter 12: The Threat of the Grail

Chapter 12: The Threat of the Grail

"Archer, now!"

On that command, Archer fired another volley as the two students were knocked away from Grail. It was turning into a far more heavyweight fight then anyone had expected, but with Grail distracted, the Servants and Masters had managed to overcome whatever power he had used on them.

"Let us see how you handle this! Activate Noble Phantasm: 4th Crusade!" Castor of Red exclaimed, as powerful attacks in the form of arrows and fire also rained down on Grail, showing a sheer might of magic that is known for the Castor class. A shield of transparent gold color had also come to protect them from any counterattacks or from the force of his own attack.

"Indeed! Keep up the attack! We must stop this threat!" Ruler exclaimed. That said, he did not have much attack power himself for a fight like this. At least not without getting close to Grail and also getting hit by attacks. If it had been the previous Ruler, then maybe, but she probably would not have found and confronted Grail as quickly. But she was not available this time around, probably due to the last Greater Holy Grail War.

"Do you think I will be stopped so easily?!" Grail announced, forming a barrier to stop their attacks. It appeared to stop all Noble Phantasms, but only that, as Kyouske was able to fire right through the barrier and hit his arm, injuring him again. Although if it was a normal human, that probably would have taken off the arm.

"Why isn't Kyouske hitting the head?"

"The barrier most likely. Its far more effect on Servants, Masters, and Noble Phantasms given the nature of the Grail, but he is not entirely powerless against others. Most likely, Kyouske is trying for maximum penetration, so while his shots are getting through, they are not hitting the mark".

"If he gets used to it...finds a pattern in the distortion...he should be able to hit".

"Then lets give him the time he needs, or maybe even just break the damn thing itself. Ruler, I need you to refund me a Command Seal" Inuzuka said, despite the fact he had not used one yet. But, everyone essentially understand what that meant.

"Oh! I will use one too if you do that for me also!" Marco added.

"Very well".

"Alright then! By this Command Seal, I command you Archer to break through that barrier with your Noble Phantasm at full power!"

Inuzuka used up a Command Seal, but it was immediately restored by Ruler. Meanwhile, Icarus' Noble Phantasm overflowed with power and rained down what appeared to be dozens, maybe even hundreds, of arrows at once. Enough to far surpass the norm of what people would expect.

"By this Command Seal, unleash your full power!"

And Marco did the same, and was also immediately restored. As a result, Castor of Red rained down a massive aresenal onto Grail as well. Even if his barrier was especially effective on Servants, Masters, and Noble Phantasms, the power provided from two Command Seal uses focused on him would have their effect. And furthermore...

"Now, Berserker! Break through it!"

Berserker of Black joined in. While those two hit it from above, Berserker of Black went and pounded on it, further causing tension and forcing it to fluctuate and collapse.

"Tsk! No choice then! Lancers, by this Command Seal, attack the Masters of Red!"

This caused Lancer of Black and Lancer of Red to appear behind them, and launch an attack on them. Grail had wanted to capture them as well, and use them as pawns, but with his hand forced he decided on this method. Better something then nothing.

Castor of Red used his power to defend against them, but it forced him to focus away from the attack. Furthermore, he was dealing with Lancers, those who used weapons to pierce. His defense would not last long.

But in that moment, where the focus was on them, one figure appeared behind Grail and stabbed into him. That was Assassin of Red. He struck, but then immediately retreated before Grail could use his power to control him. Still, the damage had been done.

"Ahg...damnit! By this Command Spell, Berserker of Red, finish off Berserker of Black's Master!"

And thus, the charcoal colored figure burst through the train they were standing on and came up behind Lobo. However, at that same moment, Kyouske shot another barrage of sniper attacks at Grail, while Reika and Uzumi also struck at the same time, using teamwork to overwhelm Grail. Icarus fired a focused shot through his head to boot, but...even though his head was pierced through, it regenerated.

"The hell?"

"Remember, Grail is possessing some old fart's corpse!" Rune called out, although if one way paying attention, they might have seen Grail twitch just a little when the body that should be dead was called an old fart...but that might have just been their imagination. "So aim for wherever the core is! Vital organs like brains dont matter!"

"So, the gold melted metal part?"

"Yeah! Aim for that!"

Kyouske fired a few rounds into that as Reika fired a few arrows, with Icarus also firing a few. At first, it seemed like nothing happened...but it was clear Grail did feel pain from those attacks. Castor was unable to fire attacks of his own though, as he focused on maintaining the barrier, and Berserker pulled back to punch Berserker of Red in the face before it could attack her master.

And then, Castor of Black finally appeared.

"Sorry for the delay, but we have successfully freed the three Masters".

"Great, then tell them to hurry up and join us!"

"Well, they would, but its freezing up here" Simon mentioned, sitting on the edge of the traincar right behind them. His legs were crossed right in front of him so no one could see anything, but...he was still naked. "We are having some trouble finding our clothes. Well, I happen to have some magic that lets me deal with it though to some degree".

As Simon often liked to use his magic to fly, he had both gotten used to colder temperatures that came with flying at high altitudes and speeds, and also created a magic that created an air pocket of warmer air inbetween him and colder air. Naturally, he was still chilly because it was never intended to be used while he was naked, but it let him join the battle to a degree unlike the other two.

Well, he was also the carefree freedom sort of type. it made him seem lazy to some, but it also meant he was not as...bothered...by his current situation.

"Berserker, stop fooling around and punch that Grail guy in the face".

Hearing the words of his Master who was no longer bound, the control of Grail was starting to lose strength and hold over him.

Well, leaving that aside...

The situation was starting to get worse for Grail now at this point. So as much as it infuriated him...he decided on a choice of action.

"You...I am not done yet!" Grail shouted. "Lancers, by this Command Seal, I order you two to kill your Masters!"

Suddenly, both Lancer's disappeared. Meanwhile, the Grail also disappeared suddenly, retreating at the same time as he dropped something that had a timer onto the train.

"By the way...where do you think all those people in town went?"

He left with those words, as the device drilled itself into the train.

* * *

Serdtse watched as the two lancers appeared, right behind their respective Masters, and thrust their weapons forward. Castor and Simon had gone up, while the other two were still searching for their belongings. Ren had only just found them, and so both their backs were totally turned still.

And so, Serdtse had to decide. There was no time to warn them, only act. And of course, he went for Ren. Not just because they were of the same faction, but because she was his student. And so, he tackled her to the ground and saved her life, as Lancer of Red was stabbed through the chest by his own Servant.

And then, the Servant also disappeared without a word, while Lancer of Black turned to face them.

"Ren! Use a Command Seal!"

"By this Command Seal, I order you to stop Berserker!" she said, forcing Berserker to stop now that she could use Command Seals again.

Still, even though he was on the enemy faction, Serdtse felt a bit sad he was unable to help them both.

* * *

By the time the group finally was allowed back into the train car, Ren and Simon had finished getting dressed, while a blanket had been thrown over Luca's corpse.

"Well, we were not able to save everyone, but...at least we saved two of the three of them" Holmes mentioned, as everyone, even Kyouske, was back on the train. Castor of Black had already gone up to take control of the train, and Rune and Assassin of Red, along with Archer of Red, were...dealing...with the bomb.

* * *

"Alright, you ready Set? It has to be really far!"

"Yep! Icarus, is it clear?"

"Totally! Alright then!"

Icarus moved into position, and grabbed the piece of the ceiling they had ripped out with the bomb on it. They had to wait for an area clear of everyone, and Icarus had just confirmed it. That said...these three also rarely did things normally...

"Alright! 44. 33. Hut hut! Hike!" Rune said, mimicking American Football, as Icarus passed the bomb to Set...who then punted it far off the train and into a snow filled valley. It exploded somewhere before it hit the ground.

"I still think it would have been cooler if we waited till it was at one second and then just disarmed it".

"But what if it was set to go off before then? I mean, I am pretty sure that thing still had three minutes left on it and yet it blew up just now".

"I am amazed he was nice enough to leave a timer on it!"

"Well, it was meant to be his escape plan. He wanted it to be a distraction, not an actual threat".

"Against Mages though?"

Rune pondered that for a moment.

"...hey, yeah. Mages are supposed to be cold blooded people".

"Well, we came here for a rescue, so maybe he figured we were more compassionate?"

"Maybe. Either way, bomb dealt with!"

And the trio high fived each other.

Meanwhile, Castor of Red made note that both factions had their own idiot trio.

* * *

With the battle done, and everyone who survived rescued, the group finally had the train move in the opposite direction and brought it back to town. With Grail gone, the innocent people stored inside the train were also fine, but...

"...does Grail just hate people?"

"He probably does...but this is..."

"This is extreme, right?"

Well, a town became very familiar with each other as they woke up. Needless to say, each and every single one of them was going to get mind wiped later to keep the secret of magic. That, or somehow they were going to have to explain how everyone, even children, got so drunk they ended up crammed in that train like that.

Magic was the easier explanation in this case.

But, everything was finally solved...and...

"Ahhhhhhhhhh". (Everyone)

As they did not want to go down the mountain at night, everyone respected the ceasefire, and decided to peacefully enjoy the hot springs together. Well...

"Rune, Set, Icarus! Stop disrupting everyone else!"

Mostly peaceful. Mages and Servants tended to be eccentric in some ways, after all.

* * *

"So, apparently the Lesser Grail itself decided to become our enemy?" Terry Blood replied, listening to what was being said over the phone. Inuzuka had called to give him the run down. "Very well. I suppose it would help if we planned out a bit more and martialed our forces".

With everything said and done, he hung up and looked back at his sword.

"I suppose we will have to be careful until Grail is defeated. A force like that, we cant really risk destroying each other...well, at least visibly. But of course, it cant be helped if Grail ends up taking out some of the Black Factions forces during this time, now can it?"

And then, he looked at the picture of Suzuki Subaru.

"And then, we can get rid of the one who is using, maybe even decieving, that homunculus, and take our Sabre of Black to secure our victory".

"Indeed" Dr. Warren said, entering the room. "After all, if we are right, that innocent high school girl...is not innocent in the slighest. And maybe...could even be directly responsible for thousands of deaths".

And so even with this new threat, the Grail War was still not over, and plots would still be formed...or continue to be carried out. But additionally, Terry had his own thought...

"...still...even if its an enemy, a second Grail is now in place...so I wonder if a second wish can also be granted in that case?"

* * *

**AN:** Woot! In case no one noticed yet, these chapters were meant to have a focus on some people who I thought could use some more spotlight. And also, to remind people that this is a Grail War and there is not something like "One side is good" and "one side is evil", at least in such clear terms. Also, its an arc that focused more heavily on the red faction. Shorter then I would have liked...but aside from a few, Red Faction is a lot less social then Black Faction!

I blame the Mages Association. They are practically smothering Red Faction with their administration and ideaology. Its all because of what happened in the last Greater Holy Grail War, you know? After what happened with Shiro's group, they are being all uptight and bothersome!

But, I thought this showed more of them! But here is a question for you people to answer in reviews! Who are the top three people you want to win personally? You cannot choose your own OC, and you have to choose three different OCs. (No putting the same name three times).

I cannot promise this will affect the results of who wins the Holy Grail War, but I also cant deny the possibility it might at least have a small influence. Maybe. So just be honest!


	13. Chapter 13: Festival

Chapter 13: Festival

* * *

**AN:** The Festival Arc has begun! With all sorts of shenanigans, from girls being cute, to boys being boys, with a shocking twist to boost!

* * *

"All clear on this end".

"Everything is clear here as well".

"All clear on my end!"

"Security is in position and rotations set, but everything seems good".

Suzuki listened as all the scouts reported in. Right now, she had a certain look in her eyes, of tensity and wariness.

"Then it appears...the Red Faction are abiding to the cease fire while the Grail situation is ongoing then. Which means..."

She looked over at the rest of the students that were waiting for her word. Many of them were dressed not in normal school uniforms though, but Yukatas colored with their school colors.

"The cultural festival is on!"

"WOO HOOO!"

"YEEEAAAAAAH!"

"YOOOSH!"

"LETS DO THIS!"

Thats right, it was time for the school's cultural festival. The Cease fire came at a convienent time for the Black Faction, who was worried about any weird incidents occuring due to the red faction during the festival. But everything appeared to be just fine.

"Lets get this festival started then!"

* * *

"This is a terrible idea" Castor of Red stated to his Master, and everyone else there, as they walked down the city street like it was nothing. "This is an absolutely terrible idea".

"Their scouts will find us soon, and they will probably view us as trouble" Simon mentioned. "But, this also seems like a fun way to take advantage of the cease fire. Right, Inuzuka?"

"Indeed" he said, as the group began to approach the cultural festival. However, they were not in a state of wariness or surprise battles. No, instead, they were all dressed in civilian clothes, comfy and stuff to walk around in at a cultural festival. And as part of the festivities that would last from day to night, they were all wearing Yukatas like everyone else to blend in.

"Time to have a bunch of fun!"

"Time to play all the games!"

"Lets have a fun blast!"

Indeed, the Red Faction was officially going to the cultural festival to take advantage of it and the cease fire to scout out the campus.

At least, that was the reason for some of them. For others, it was an excuse to take a break and go to the cultural festival.

"I suppose then...if this was an anime, it would be the episode, or arc, where both sides end up casually interracting with each other, or teaming up against some threat, or just for some casual and funny banter type stuff" Rune mentioned.

"Pretty much. Even if me and my brother despite each other to the very core of our beings, even we would not try to kill each other. He wont even poison my food here".

"He wont?"

"He wouldn't want to give a student a record of serving food that causes health issues".

"Ah. I see".

"...he would do something dishonorable like claiming to have a stone boat race, but then using a wooden boat that was painted to look like a stone one though..."

"...why did you think that a stone boat would even work in the first place? You should have known that was a trick".

"Shut up, okay! We were really tense from all the various competitions and attempts to kill each other...and other things...so its only natural a small oversight might be made!"

"...that doesn't seem like a small oversight".

"Just shut up! Lets just enjoy this festival okay?"

"Too bad Terry didn't come with us. He always seems so professional".

"Its a good thing Sabre didn't though. He has an ego that would cause all sorts of trouble".

"I cant get a read on Terry myself" Rune mentioned. "From what I heard, he was apparently some hero though, saved a lot of lives during one incident, and seems to be one of the best magical investigators around. From what I heard, he even saved a bunch of children from a rampaging troll one time...but, he always seems so cold and retracted. And he was willing to have Sabre use his Noble Phantasm on not just servants, but even just students that are not Masters in the Black Faction".

"He might have seen something that traumatized him, or maybe he is just a complicated person. I hear he investigated a lot of nightmarish situations. Apparently, he was an Enforcer for the Mages Association, investigated the worst of the worst. Took down some mages that turned terrorism even, and other horrific experiments".

"Seems complicated indeed".

"Also means he must be really strong. Crap, its going to be a pain to fight him once we defeat the Black Faction".

"You do realize we are vastly outnumbered, right?"

"Maybe, but that also means that Grail will target them next. And this festival...I doubt he will miss the chance".

"And maybe...we will get the chance to take advantage of the situation. Is that what you are thinking, Inuzuka?"

Inuzuka just nodded.

"Once we take down Grail, the truce ends, and we take down the members of the Black Faction weakened from the fight, and balance the scales".

"And if that happens, until it does, we enjoy the cultural festival, right master?"

"Yes, Inuzuka. No reason we cant mix business with pleasure".

"Woo hoo!"

Marco also looked happy.

"I wonder how awesome the stuff will be anyways?"

* * *

And meanwhile, another conversation was going on.

"Its okay, Mika-chan. You can do this".

"I dont know...I just am not sure about this..."

"You will be great, Mika-chan! You are able to do this! You are great! You were able to summon me after all!"

"I just..."

"Have confidence! You will shine!"

"Al-alright then!"

With some helpful words from her servant, Mika managed to pull together the confidence and strength she needed to pull it off. Using her magic circuits, she activated her magic...and brought the fountain to life.

"B-Behold! My project for the festival, our new water fountain!" she said, leaving out the part where she used Magecraft to help make the water fountain do what it does. Water jumping around, dancing, doing amazing things. Nothing that defied physics, since normal people and family who knew nothing from the city were also here, but it was still amazing.

"See Mika-chan? Look at those faces? The adults, the children? They love it!"

"Really? Thats...thats great!"

Mika's face lit up with smiles and joy, while Billie watched with satisfaction and happiness himself. As a Servant, he was meant to serve his Master, but he was not doing this for that. It was just the kind of person he was. In his time, outlaws could be more then just criminals and cutthroats. Just because he killed people, didn't mean he couldn't help them as well.

And that was why he had a simple wish. To roam the world, and show that he was more then just an outlaw. To do what he wanted to do, and prove who he really was. And helping Mika let a crowd full of people, dressed in yukatas, and even some kimonos and such, become all happy and praising her work.

"Hey, looks great Mika-chan!" Suzuki shouted as she ran over.

"Th-thanks, Suzuki-sempai!"

"Come on, lets go enjoy the rest of the festival!" Suzuki mentioned, as she pulled Mika along to go and travel across the festival. "Its going to be a load of fun!"

"S-sure! By the way, what did you and Toko end up doing?"

"Well, Toko has been straining and risking himself way too much lately, so I punished him by making him take a shift in the dunk tank".

Given Suzuki's general nature, and carefree attitude towards things, they both had a strange feeling that...

"Oh hey look, there he is" Suzuki pointed out.

"Suzuki-neechan!" Toko cried out. He was totally soaked already, and naturally seemed to be naked. Probably. The dunk tank was opaque enough for no one to see anything specific.

Billie, who saw this, tilted his head.

"I feel like this is taking the joke a bit too far. Exactly, what did he do to warrant that?"

"Remember the fight with Berserker of Red up north? How Toko and Horus fought?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, what he failed to mention is that he used so much magic, he overloaded his magic circuits and put his health at risk. And I learned just how risky it was when I examined him while I was in charge of monitoring and assisting in the elementry boy's baths. He says its fine, and admittedly, its not like he is pushing himself that far...but, its enough that I am concerned if I dont punish him, he will just do it again".

"And this is the method you chose?"

"Its a strong impact. It doesn't require physically hurting him. Its more impactful then just grounding him. And also, it should keep him distracted from what day it is".

"From what day it is?"

"Yeah...I need to keep him distracted all day today. Scheduled the festival to make sure of it. He absolutely cant realize what today is".

Mika and Billy looked concerned. First, they looked at Toko, who was clearly embarrassed, and then back at Suzuki.

"What day is that?"

"His birthday".

"His...birthday? Why is that bad?"

For a moment, Suzuki looked a bit conflicted.

"Well...lets just say, nothing good happened that day. I am not sure you have noticed...but there is a reason you never see Toko's family, or hear him talk about them".

"...oh...its not something to bring up then".

"In that case, there is a serious flaw in your plan Suzuki".

"How so?"

"Another way to describe someone who is naked as being in their birthday suit. Also..."

Billy pointed to the dunk tank, which was suddenly filled by someone else with a red face.

"He disappeared...and, is everyone who goes in...?"

"Yep. Attracts a bigger crowd to see people wet and embarrased".

"...Suzuki-sempai is amazing for a lot of reasons..."

"...I dont think amazing is the right word to use..."

"Anyways, I have to go find him before he does something stupid" Suzuki moaned. "Where is the nearest stand selling alcohol?"

"I think one is set up in the southern region...why? Hold on, you don't think..."

"Toko is just depressed enough to try today!"

* * *

"Toko-kun?" Horus asked, chasing after the now dressed and somewhat moody Toko. Even though Suzuki made him go through that embaressment, somehow his mind seemed elsewhere. Still embarrassed, but Horus could tell since he woke up something was bothering him.

However, since they had left, no matter how much Horus spoke up, Toko seemed to be trapped in his thoughts. His way of walking was a bit stumbled too, and his body language had Horus in a mode of great concern.

"Toko!" he finally shouted, going in front of the boy and grabbing his shoulders.

"Not today Horus! I tried to play along with Suzuki's distraction, despite everything...but...its not enough. I need a drink".

"Do you even drink alcohol?!"

"Not really, but I hear if you drink enough of it and get drunk, your mind is less sharp and more easily distracted".

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? Neither of you have told me anything!"

"...its my birthday today".

"It is! Then we should celebrate! Thats great!"

"Its not something to celebrate!"

Toko seemed to get enraged when he heard that.

"Wait...what? Why? What happened? Isn't that something to be happy about?"

"You seriously dont get it? Dont you understand how many people who are no longer with us share my birthday?"

"What do you...oh..."

Horus realized it then. Toko's birthday was the same as dozens of other clones that died during the experiments done by his creators.

"I see. With dozens dead, of course you would be like that".

"...it wasn't dozens".

"What?"

"You have seen me naked several times, but...you have not seen this yet" Toko said, as he raised the hair that normally covered the back of his neck up.

Horus immediately moved around to look, but the moment he did...

"What the...no..." was all Horus said, before he felt his stomach churn and he felt sickly. He immedately ran over to the nearest trashcan, and threw up. Given that he was a spiritual being though, such a reaction normally would not be possible.

But anyone decent, even a spirit, or even those who were a little non-decent, would vomit when they heard that. After all, a number was imprinted onto his skin: 1153.

The meaning of that number, and what it meant, was obvious to Horus. It meant, there were not dozens of clones that died from the experiments, but hundreds. And there was no evidence to say Toko was the last clone created, or even remotely near the last. He could be the middle, or created from the first twenty five percent. There could have been ten thousand of them made.

However, it explained why he, why all of them, were child sized. The resource cost to produce all of them, reducing the size as much as they could would be needed to avoid breaking the bank and saving what they could.

And it was why he, and anyone else, would vomit the moment they saw it. And why Toko was in such a foul mood, and was seeking closure in the wrong places. But, it was hard to blame him.

After all, who would want to celebrate their birthday that they shared with thousands of others, who were essentially their brothers, that had died in horrible experiments?

"...Toko, I really dont have anything I can say that would help you right now, but...dont shut people out".

"...other days, I am fine...but, I need this one day..."

"I understand" Horus said, as he watched Toko walk off towards a stall that apparently had alcohol. "Just, be safe..."

Horus was about to follow just in case though, but then...someone passed across his gaze.

"You!"

"You!"

Horus and Set locked eyes with each other.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

"What? We have a truce, and there was a festival going on, so I decided to enjoy it. Without any hostile intentions".

Set said that, however...Horus walked up and locked eyes with him.

"Why do I doubt that?"

"You dont trust me? You are the one that pulled the stunt with the boat".

"You pulled the stunt with the statue though".

"You tried to poison me, and impregnate me".

Some odd looks were given by other members of Red Faction.

"It wasn't so weird and looked upon as such back then! And you! You always stole some of my portion of the good meat!"

"No I didn't! You just made that up to get extra!"

"Did not!"

"You did so!"

The two looked like they might break out into a fight right then and there. That was, until one of the teachers running a stall looked over and saw them.

"You two, the brothers over there! Why not try to win a prize! See who can get the highest score and win first!"

The two looked over at the stall, which was one of those air rifle stalls, and then back at each other.

"Pfft. Like it would be a contest. You could never beat me".

"Says you. I am a much better shot then you".

"In your dreams!"

"I will prove it to you!"

"You are on!"

The two ran over, and put down some money.

"Load us up!"

Meanwhile, Rune just looked at the two, and shrugged.

"Well, I saw that coming. I will see the rest of you later".

"You are leaving?"

"I have my own interests" Rune said, leaving them.

Inuzuka just looked at him with curiosity though.

"Own interests huh...talking so much about how mysterious Terry is, but...who the hell are you even, Rune-kun? What is your wish?"

* * *

Malcom Lee meanwhile was doing his own thing, walking around. But he was not alone either...

"Ren-chan. Glad to see you made it back okay".

"Yes, so am I" Ren replied to him with a smile. "So I missed our debrief. Did anyone realize what you did mid battle?"

"No, no one knows yet about the errand I sent Rider on. The whole mess with the Grail is making good cover. That said...I confirmed that Toko is indeed keeping a secret".

"You did?"

"Yeah. From what Rider told me, it appears...Toko has the ability to use Artificial Noble Phantasms, and possesses abilities that let him keep up with Servants. Furthermore, he has yet to really utilize his full potential, but that might just be Rider being judgemental in his strategist ways".

"So...she was holding that sort of trump card huh? So not only do we have to worry about the Red Faction, or Grail, but also...we have to deal with the chance that she will use him on us as well".

"Indeed. Furthermore, he is gaining more and more supporters from all school levels. It seems a lot of people are interested in, or just plain mesmerized, by his wish".

"Fools" Ren said, and not out of ego or spite. Also, she was still maintaing a friendly, but also intelligent, appearance. "Toko's wish is the one we absolutely cant allow to get granted. Sure, it might fix a lot of issues. His reasoning is solid. But what about the casualties that will becaused by all those monsters? All the new threats? For the sake of everyone, we cant let Toko has his wish granted. Even if he is that tough, his wish...it will cause havoc. So we will have to try".

And that was when a thought crossed her mind.

"...of course. Grail's next target...will be Toko and Assassin then..."

"...a two for one deal. Wait, are you thinking..."

Ren looked back at Malcom, with (fake) sorrow in her eyes.

"If we dont, if either Toko or Grail win...humanity is doomed. Think about everyone who might die? Do you have another option? We will have to fight each other eventually anyways, and we are currently up on firepower..."

Malcom was not sure how to reply to this situation, but part of him...part of him was being swayed by Ren's logic.

He understood just how doomed they could all be.

* * *

"...damn my body...cant even get drunk easily..." Toko mentioned, as he sat at the counter. Dressed in a yukata made just for him, his legs dangled off of the stool while he enjoyed drinking booze. One might question why anyone was even letting him drink, but...well, he was a Master, had lots of magic, and had an aura around him that tended to make it hard for people to approach him, unlike his usual self.

The fact he was using a magic that would interfere with people's ability to think about his age also did not hurt.

As a result, Toko was currently drinking alone. He looked a bit like he was an alcoholic, even though he had not had any drinks with alcohol since...well, a year ago exactly on this day.

"I will take a bottle of whatever he is having as well" another boy said as he sat down next to Toko, wearing his own Yukata and was about Toko's size as well. Toko gave him a bit of a look.

"I would like to be alone, if you don't mind".

"Hey, hey. No need to be hostile" the boy replied, as he took a drink. "I am just here to celebrate, is all".

"Well I am not in a very celebratory mood".

"Come on now, lets be friendly" the boy said, as he extended his hand. "My name is Rune. What is your name?"

"Toko. Now please leave, Rune-kun".

"Come on now, I think its okay for us to drink together" Rune replied, as they both took another drink. "And, whoever you are mourning, I think they would prefer if you honored them by celebrating their lives, not their deaths".

"What the hell would you know about what they think?!" Toko growled at him. Meanwhile, Rune took out and revealed a special necklace he was wearing.

"You know what the nice thing about Runecraft is? Anyone can really use it, provided you have the knowledge and skills to. Its intelligence and creativity, and thinking speed, that are important".

"Wait, are you...a master of Red?"

"...I guess you are at least somewhat drunk then. Well, let me join you then".

Toko heard that, then looked back at the necklace and realized what Rune meant.

"Thats...a Rune of Disguise..."

"After all...we both are here right now to honor our brothers" Rune said, as the wind pushed past and blew his hair just enough for Toko to see something printed on the back of his neck. 0834. "Isn't that right, little bro?"

And so, the two brothers looked at each other, one with sympathy, and one with shock.

* * *

**AN:** Fufufufufufufufu! Bet no one saw that one coming! Also, is it me, or is the relationship between Mika and Billy becoming more and more awesome each time they show up?

Actually, in terms of appearances, they might just have the most since they participated in the fight with Berserker of Red while others did not...

Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Started out with some lighthearted silly stuff...but quite intense at the end there, huh?

And we get to learn more about Terry in addition to seeing more Mika/Billy cuteness/amazingness, and the members of Red Faction are evne here to party!

In this situation, who knows what might end up happening! :O


	14. Chapter 14: Brotherhood

**Chapter 14: Brotherhood**

Toko looked at the boy, and then back at his disguise rune.

It was shocking, but it also made sense. All of them could use Runecraft. It was a magic that everyone could use, just required one to remember how to make the runes and what each rune meant. That knowledge was forced into them.

"So then...you are...you really are..."

"Yep. Your brother. Older then you though".

"...we cant grow though, yet you seem a bit taller..."

"Oh, part of my disguise rune. Helps sell the whole thing really".

"Huh".

"...then, why are you here? Try to get me to surrender? Trying to see if you can find the Greater Grail, get your own wish granted?"

"Nothing like that. Just wanted to hang out. Also, Horus and Set met each other".

"Oh...and how is that going?"

"Last time I saw, they got heavily into competing in air gun stalls".

"They are not trying to kill each other?"

"They both seem to understand we are in a ceasefire, and why we need it. Besides, I have a small suspicion that they actually like each other. They just also hate each other".

"So...family?"

"Yep. Family. By the way, what have you been drinking?"

"Oh, I have been trying all the rounds. Vodka, Sake, Whiskey, Rum. Pretty much everything available".

"I see...you know, maybe you actually want to enjoy the culture festival".

"Suzuki wants me in that dunk tank..."

"Isnt anyone who goes in there naked for comedic relief?"

"Yep. Only elementry and middle schoolers though".

"...why?"

"Zero Sex Appeal".

"But...why naked..."

"Suzuki wants people to be more open or something. I think she has a variety of reasons...but she is also unreasonable".

"I see...well, why not avoid her and just enjoy the festival?"

"Because I dont feel like enjoying it".

"You know, they wouldn't want you to mope..."

"Ha! Let me guess, your wish is to bring them all back to life right?"

Toko called Rune out on his wish, but Rune just shook his head.

"I am not that cruel of a person".

"So you understand then...what would happen if they were brought back?"

"Of course I understand. They died under horrific and terrible circumstances. Being physically and mentally broken. We bring them back, and it will only cause trouble. We made it here because somehow, we didn't break. I wont make anyone come back, since they would only end up somehow or another remembering their deaths, and all that pain".

"It would be a cruel thing to do".

"Exactly. So my wish is far more interesting then that. Although I gotta say, your wish also seems like a cool idea...but my wish also has its perks. And that is to give everyone Magecraft".

"Ev-everyone?"

"Yeah. Although I dont think I would mind your wish, mine doesnt risk chaos by flipping the world on its axis. Additionally, my wish will ensure everyone has potential to develop great and powerful Magecraft that could help the world. Doctors could develop new medical techniques. Teachers new forms of science. I think it would be fantastic myself".

"Huh. That does seem cool, but I dont think it would be enough to stop world hunger. To stop humans from fighting each other. My solution solves that. Give them an enemy to unite against, and humans will band together. Instead of discriminating against each other, they will fight side by side. Magic will be refreshed, new doors will be opened, old doors re-opened. It will be fantastic".

"Sigh...I gotta say, you sure have some wild and crazy ideas".

"Well, I was mentally broken and reforged several times".

"Haha! I suppose that is true!"

"...still, it feels bad, knowing all those others are dead..."

"And that is probably why this Suzuki tries to get you naked all the time. She wants to distract you from how you feel right now. She wants you to feel love".

"Then why are you not like me?"

"Because I am older and wiser then you. And I found my own ways to cope".

"And what way are you doing now, with the Red Faction?"

"Simple...I am looking for the bastard responsible for it all".

At those words, Toko gave him a look, though it was a bit obscure from his current drunk condition.

"What?"

"At least one person escaped..."

"YOu mean Suzuki-neechan? She rescued me. Her parents were forced to cooperate. They helped me survive, stay concealed, live a life".

"No, I mean someone else. The boss who was in charge of it all. You see, I heard mutterings...that they knew about the Greater Grail".

The moment Toko heard that, he was shocked.

"I dont know who or where this person might be, but...they knew. That means, they are a part of this Grail War. Now, for all we know, it seems until recently only the Black Faction knew..."

"Are you saying...that someone in Black Faction was involved in those experiments...that might be a traitor?"

"Its possible, but its not the only possibility. Red Faction...they already had collected multiple artifacts and resources. I find it hard to believe they managed this despite being caught off guard by the reveal of the Greater Grail".

"So...someone inside Red Faction worked with them?"

"Its only a theory, but yes. Toko, there is something going on in the Greater Grail War. Its not just the normal stuff, and I dont mean Grail. There is a fourth faction moving I think, someone playing everyone's strings. I think they are causing this needless tense feeling at the Red Faction Headquarters, and probably are plotting something inside the Black Faction as well. We are getting played Toko, and we are losing fast".

"And right now, at this junction...would be the easiest way to play people even further".

The two of them looked around, at the various members of the crowd.

""Game On"".

* * *

"Ha! I win!"

"No way! I totally beat you!"

""YOU! STALL MANAGER! TELL HIM I AM RIGHT!""

Horus and Set were still at it, going head to head.

"Umm...I believe you both won at the exact same time and scored the high score at the exact same time, so...you both tied?"

"Seriously?!"

"Again?!"

They both chose the highest prizes in that, huge stuffed teddy bears, and stored them in dimensional storage. It was something they both had to carry their wide variety of assassination tools.

"Next time, I will beat you!"

"In your dreams! There, over there! Ring toss! I will beat you in that!"

"No, I will beat you! Game on!"

The two had totally forgotten about their masters at this point, as they were too busy competing with each other. That said, in a way this festival provided the perfect outlet for them. They were able to compete, give it all they had, in friendly, non-violent, competitions. Had these things existed in their time, it was entirely possible they might have settled things peacefully. Or at least, learned to co-exist.

The evidence was quite obvious, as the two were actually smiling as they competed...or really, at this point, played together.

That said, each one was still determined to win against the other, without the gods interfering this time.

"There! I win!"

"No way! I won!"

""TELL US WHO WON!""

"Well...umm...you both got a perfect score at the exact same time" the man said, as he handed each of them a prize. "It was a tie".

"Seriously?"

"Again?"

It appeared they would be pre-occupied for quite some time.

* * *

"Mika-chan. I got you some cotton candy".

"Oh, thank you Archer!"

"No problem" Archer replied as he and Mika continued to walk around the area with Suzuki and Sabre. "I wonder, what do you think their wishes are?"

"Their wishes?"

"I bet, Suzuki is secretly a closet pervert, and wants to be able to express her desires without complaints...and maybe obediance..."

"No way! I think her wish...it might be the same as Toko's. Unless Toko dies, in which case it will probably end up being to bring him back".

"What about Sabre?"

"Sabre is difficult...its Mordred, so I would say challange the sword of choosing, but isnt this version of her post that? In that case, what would be her wish? Maybe to be alive again? Travel the world and adventure? Dance crazy in exotic locations?"

"You do know I can hear both of you right?"

"Both of us? And for the record Archer, I am not a pervert. I just believe that innocent elementry schoolers are cute, and are fun to tease, embarrass, and help".

"Just...very unique...and dangerous".

"...very very unique".

"I have good reasons for everything I do".

"The dunk tank?"

"YOu would be amazed how many people are drawn in by their embarrassment alone".

"Riight...you did major in business as well as science, if I recall. Anyways...is that...Red Faction?"

And so, they ran into Inuzuka and Icarus. However...

"You can do it, Inu-niichan!"

"The correct answer is...the middle cup!"

"And...you are correct!"

It seemed they were fully enjoying the festival. Also, dominating the games that required perception and intelligence. At least, Inuzuka was. Meanwhile, Icarus would dominate anything that required hand-eye coordination and aiming. Together, they ended up dominating every game they came across.

"...it occurs to me that we may need to restock on festival prizes..."

"It occurs to me we need more food as well".

"Well, thankfully we have a Support Club for that. Poor Uzumi though, she must be overworked..."

"You have no idea!" Uzumi shouted as she ran past carrying three different boxes. "Make way, coming through! Gotta restock the food vendors!"

Mika just looked at Billy.

"Were those actually food boxes?"

"No, but no one would try to steal what is likely uncooked food. Those boxes were full of prizes".

The four ended up saluting Uzumi.

""""We appreciate your hard work and sacrifice!""""

It seemed that everyone was having a good time...

* * *

"Oh ho! Now, with the Quasi Gyro-Sphere, I can take over the world!"

"Not on our watch, criminal scum!"

"Oh no! Its...its...the Ford Mechars!"

And in another, far off corner, countless children sat down in front of a booth and stared with awe and wonder as Castor of Black and his Master, also known as one of hte Kings of Industry Ford and Serdtse-sensei, were operating a booth putting on a puppet show. It was a standard kids show, where a villain tries to do evil things, and then gets stopped by the Ford Mechars. Since the plot was simple, they kept changing things each version, making it new and interesting for repeat visitors.

Although, one boy and his guardian seemed especially amazed.

"Marco..."

"Oooh! Oooh! Ford Mechars, go!"

"...oh dear..."

Everyone was enjoying themselves today. It was a wonderfully fun filled, calm day.

And meanwhile, a bit down the road, another situation was occuring. Lobo and Berserker were walking around the fashion area, with Lobo buying her some more clothes so she had more to choose from. After all, she only had like, one outfit to get her by.

So, they had decided to support their students and by some clothes from their stalls. They had quite a bit to choose from too, so it was not a bad option. That said, maybe after the festival they would hit the mall as well.

Well, not litterally hit. Its an expression. But for some reason, Lobo felt he had to clarify that in his own head as well so Berserker didn't actually try to hit it. Suppose its the inherit qualities of being the partner of Berserker.

"Well now, looks like you two are having fun" a voice called out to them. When they turned around, Rider of Red was there, along with her Master.

"Some of that stuff looks good. You make them at the school?" her Master asked, ignoring the fact she had even used a provocative tone.

"What are you people doing here?"

"Well, Grail has to attack somewhere right? We have a truce, at least for now, so we figured, lets all be at the same place so there are more people to deal with him, and also why not enjoy the festival".

"Huh...I see..."

Lobo was still a bit suspicious, but it seemed reasonable enough.

"So then, where is..."

"Out of the way!"

"Skateboard race coming through!"

The group found themselves dodging out of the way as Horus and Set flew by on Skateboards, apparently racing each other, with a high school boy chasing them.

"The race track is back that way!"

The four of them looked at each other, then down the path at the two boys disappearing into the distance, and then back at each other.

"So then, where is everyone else?" Lobo asked, acting as if what just happened did not happen.

"I think Rune went off towards the alcohol area for some reason...by the way, just to check that, your students brew their own alcohol as well as import?"

"Ah, yes. Remember, everyone here can do Magecraft. Physical Reinforcement is a relatively simple thing. While it may not make you superhuman, the enhancements it gives can more then cover enhancing liver functions to drink alcohol. ALthough obviously, we recommend moderation or to not drink it at all".

"I see...makes sense I suppose. As for Inuzuka, someone challanged his intelligence at a stall game, and I think Archer got..."

"You can just say Icarus at this point. We all know".

"...okay. Icarus is handling the games that require accuracy".

"That seems like...a scary combination".

"There is apparently a secret betting pool away from the eyes of the administration of Red Faction on who will win. He is one of the favorites, along with Terry Blood".

"Naturally. From what I remember, Terry could be ultra serious and determined sometimes. He still like that?"

"Pretty much" Kasai replied, sighing. "Honestly? Most of us at the Red Faction actually came here to get away from the atmosphere of that place. The Mages Association are suffocating the atmosphere there, and everyone is always tense and on edge. We dont get to do much socializing and fun stuff as a result, so in truth we are a bit jealous. Thats why we came here, and justified it as a scouting mission to them. Compared to you guys, over there its just...its not that good".

"Yeah. Everyone there is super uptight about everything. I think if they could, they would get rid of us all and bring the Servants under the rule of Clocktower collectively".

"Honestly, its practically insufferable. One of our Masters, Rune, also seems to be super paranoid about something there. At least, I thought he was paranoid, but the more and more happens, the more I get bad feelings about all this. Apparently, he sleeps in the ventalation ducts for safety. As for the others...well, Luka was too carefree, Marco seems to be a normal boy who doesnt realize it, and Simon just...doesn't care. As for the others...Terry Blood is used to it maybe, or is too focused on being the leader. I think Inuzuka might be up to something. Its all a big mess, and now with the Grail situation, its gotten even worse. Its like some uncontrollable fire is spreading..."

"Uncontrollable fire huh...Berserker?"

As Lobo began to ponder, he noticed Berserker starting to act strangely.

"...something is off".

"Off?"

Rider of Red also seemed to notice something on her own.

"I will be right back if you need me...I need to check on something".

And with those words, Rider disappeared while Berserker seemed a bit unsure about something. However...she then took a deep breath.

"Maybe it was nothing..."

* * *

"So, you finally showed up, Sabre of Black" Rider of Red mentioned as she stood on the rooftop. In that moment, Sabre of Black appeared as well.

"And so have you, Rider of Red" Sabre replied, as they both faced each other. They both looked so similar...so identical. However, Rider of Red scowled.

"So that is how it is huh?"

"To think there would be two of us here, summoned for a single Grail..."

"You can stop with the act now. I know you are not me" Mordred told her, as she stared right into her eyes. "I must admit though, had I not been summoned as Rider, you might have gotten away with it. However, thanks to a previous case in this world, there is a giveaway clue that shows we are not the same person. Thanks to a boy named Shiro, and his future self summoned as Archer during a Grail War he was in".

At those words, Sabre seemed to stumble a little. But not just because of those words, but also because someone began to clap as they stepped out from behind the stairway access. It was the Ruler of this Grail War, Sherlock Holmes.

"Well done Mordred. You seem to have made a fine deduction".

"Well, you were a part of it Sherlock. That said, dont interrupt".

"My bad, that was rude. Please, continue. This one is yours".

Mordred turned, and faced herself...or rather, her fake self, Sabre of Black.

"Yes, that is right. I know who you are...former Ruler Class Servant, Joan of Arc".

At those words, a glow appeared around Sabre of Black, as another disguise was dismissed...and standing there was indeed Joan of Arc.

"How did you figure it out?"

"There are plenty of clues. Not obvious ones, but clues none the less. And for the record, its a misperception that I am a fool or an idiot. I just dont like to wait around or be patient normally. However, lets get back to the reasons. First off, the fact you used as disguise ability at all. Sabre Classes do not get any form of Pressence Concealment. Although it is true Excalibur can conceal its own presence, there was no way you could hide yourself like that in truth. And then, there was my red flames. I suppose maybe you didn't quite know this, or you did but you conjured them to sell the lie, but Excalibur does not produce red flame, that is my ability, Clarent Blood Arthur".

"...I see. So it was too much huh?"

"Yeah, but also there were other things. For one thing, either out of respect, or out of spite, I would have never disguised myself as my father either. Even if you matured or grew or whatever crap they might have said if you were an alternate version of me, no version of me would disguise myself as my father. And also, Excalibur is one thing, but Avalon? Me ever possessing that Noble Phantasm, even if it goes with the sword, is pushing it. And, maybe most importantly...I am a way better trash talker then that! Which is how I figured it was you. No way someone like you would be good at trash talking".

Joan ended up a bit embarrassed when Mordred pointed that out.

"I guess my acting skills need work".

"Well, there was more. You see, other then my Father, I figured one other person might be able to use Authority to make herself an exception and use Noble Phantasms she would not normally have. And that would be a Ruler. And furthermore, you are supposed to appear as the Ruler for the Greater Grail. So why is it that Sherlock appeared this time? Sure, I suppose the Greater Grail could just go with a different Ruler...but, in truth its something different. After all, someone can only be summoned as a Ruler if they themselves possess no desire for the Grail, no wish they want granted. Which means...something changed in you that made you have a wish. Or rather, someone...your wish is for Sieg, right?"

Joan had no words to respond with, but her face said it all.

"So, you plan to use the Greater Grail to give him a life full of happiness and joy. To bring him back to us as a person, and let him enjoy the life he should have had..."

"Its only fair! He used his hard earned wish not for himself, but for everyone else! He deserves to be able to be happy as well!" Joan shouted, when something finally occured to her. "Hold on...do you remember past Grail Wars? That shouldn't be possible".

"Yeah, well...lets just say there are some unique circumstances. And, if you really want that to happen, I suppose you will just have to fight for it" Rider pointed out. "But I really could not just keep letting you pretend to be me. It was getting confusing".

"Well then. I suppose alls well that ends well" Sherlock pointed out, although...he did have this bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"...I cant believe none of them thought that I would also want a break" Terry Blood muttered, as he entered the school grounds to attend the festival as well. "Its not like I enjoy the stuffy atmosphere either..."

* * *

**AN:** Plot twist! Sabre's true identity is Joan of Arc, using those Ruler powers to pass as another Sabre! That sneak! But her wish is absolute adorbs!

As for the festival, more fun stuff is coming soon! This includes:

Brother Bonding!

Hillarious occurances!

Some action!

Some embarrassment!

Karaoke!

A concert!

If anyone has a suggestion for something they would not mind seeing in the festival as well, let me know and I will see if it could work!

By the way, I am also shipping Mika and Billy. It just works (and its super cute! Cuteness is justice!)


	15. Chapter 15: Conflict and Desire

**Chapter 15: Conflict and Desire**

* * *

**AN: Sorry bout the delay, some RL stuff was going on.**

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, absolutely!"

"This is a terrible idea".

"Is not".

"...fine...just, choose a good song at least".

Toko and Rune were currently in a Kareoke room. At the moment, they were trying to choose a song. However, they had yet to agree on one, and Toko thought this was also a terrible idea.

"I mean, there are not enough escape paths in the first place..."

"Oh, would you shut up about that? I have laced the room with protection and stealth Runes, so no one is going to surprise attack us or even find us probably. Well, I suppose those two might, but they are too busy competing with each other".

"Is it safe to let Horus and Set do that?"

"Despite their hatred for each other, I think they actually get along subconsciously. I mean, think about it. If in their hearts, they seriously wanted each other dead, wouldn't they have done so a long time ago?"

"So, their whole trying to kill each other is just a brother's quarrel?"

"Pretty much".

"I think I need more vodka".

"Now you see, I do have to argue with you there. Whiskey is way better".

"You have not tried the vodka our school makes".

"You know, that line would concern so many people once they heard it. And I already tried the Whiskey".

"Oi oi! Dont choose that one!"

"Why not?"

"It a girl's song!"

"Oh. How about..."

"Oh, that one that one!"

"Alright..."

"Oh, they have this one too?"

"...you are actually really into this, huh?"

"What? I just want to make sure whatever we do is actually tasteful and a good fit".

"Huh...alright then..."

* * *

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

"Huh...they really have created fantastic hotsprings here" Terry Blood said as he tried out the student built Hot Springs. "Though, as I showed you, there are structural improvements you should make. Like patching in those holes, dont you agree?"

He then looked towards a few tied up students who he had caught peeping.

"Well, I guess I will just let you think that over. Its nice to finally have a day off".

"Indeed, it is nice" a female voice spoke out as she entered the hotsprings. He turned around, and saw that the person joining him was the one who they believed to be the leader of the Black Faction, Suzuki Subaru.

"How bold of you, to appear here".

"Well, when were we going to get a chance to meet each other peacefully?"

Although they both said that, anyone who was still around to look at this scene might hallucinate the images of a dragon and a snake behind the two, glaring at each other and clashing auras.

"I must admit, you have done quite the job to get this far. I am guessing you used the leylines to alter the geography of the area, in order to open up these hotsprings?"

"You know your leylines well, Mr. Blood. As expected of the one known to the association as 'The Fist'. I suppose you do have the muscles for it".

"Speak for yourself. YOu may have kept the appearance of being slender and womanly, but how much magic have you used to pack muscles and strength into that form? Isn't that right, Suzuki Subaru?"

"Oh, so you know my name".

Terry Blood smirked as he shrugged.

"I know your fake name. After all, until you and that homunculus appeared at the school, neither of your names never officially existed. And I am betting the Greater Grail has been around for the same amount of time. But I wonder if thats the only thing that is changed...the only thing you are hiding. Isn't that right...Doctor?"

Suzuki's dark grin intensified as a bit of a glare was expressed.

"Aren't I a bit young for a doctor? I think you may have your facts confused".

"The lab was an expert on the development and manipulation of human bodies. And you would need to know how the homunculus was developed to properly maintain it. And finally, that scientist has somehow managed to elude us to this day. It makes one wonder, how far could they go to change their appearance? How far do the lies go? And would they be willing to make an entire school their pawns, involve children in a game of death?"

"Maybe its because the simple fact is, only children possess the power to save this world. And may I remind you, the Grail is outside of everyone's power. It appears where it wants to, and no one can change that. The Mages Association is just afraid of change, but change is what we need. We have to change, or the world itself will end up burning".

"Burning? That is oddly specific..." Blood mentioned. "I wonder, just how much do you really know?"

"I could say the same of you. You seem so certain you know who I am, you have not even considered other options in case you were wrong".

"I am more curious on if that boy has any actual free will" Blood countered.

"You really are stubborn. Toko's will is entirely his own".

"Does he know about the Command Code though? I am sure you have one, I way to make him obey if you need to".

"I don't know what you are talking about. Besides, you are the one working for a corrupt, power hungry, and oppressive organization".

"Who is trying to keep the world safe. You cant honestly think that Toko's wish is a good idea".

"Its change. A change the world needs. It will stop the apocalypse and save the future".

"Or it will be the cause of the apocalypse and doom the future".

"You seem to have a lot of accusations, but very little actual knowledge of the Truth".

"Is that The World's Truth, or Chaldea's Truth? Or is it just the Truth you want to believe? You are playing a very dangerous game, doctor".

"Except I am not playing. I am doing what needs to be done".

"Then I suppose, I will have to stop your idealistic drive towards destruction".

As the tension could be felt reaching its max, the two just laughed it off and dropped it suddenly.

"Looks like that person is finally making their move".

* * *

"Still, I cant believe you are going through all this trouble, impersonating multiple people, just to get this wish. Even for Servants, you are going over the top".

"It cant be helped. His wish should have been that, his wish. Instead he was forced to use it..."

"Yeah yeah, you told me all this already. But it does make me wonder..."

Rider of Red, or rather Mordrid, stopped in her tracks as she and Sabre of Black, Joan of Arc, were walking down a path.

"...how did you make the Greater Grail appear here?"

Joan just turned around and gave a puzzled look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you are the only person who could have possibly manipulated events like this and brought the Grail here. After what happened with Assassin of Black, carrying that weight around...you chose this place for a reason. To help children, am I right?"

Sabre of Black only looked on with silence.

"You wont deny or admit it?"

"I was summoned after the Grail appeared here, so I am wondering how you got it into your head that I am the one responsible for moving the Grail here?"

"Its the location. I can think of only one person who might have the means to determine where the Greater Grail will appear, the will to make it appear around children, and the desire of a wish to do so. You intend to give power to children, to ensure that they wont end up like that. But you want to use your wish on Sieg, so this was the only way to ensure both. This is your plan to beat the system, and get both of your wishes".

"You seem to be confused about something. Ruler does not hold that power, and I cant move the Grail when I am not even summoned".

"Hmmmm".

That was when the two of them felt something off, and stopped in their tracks.

"What was that?"

"I...am not sure...but it feels really off".

"It might be Grail. We better go and stop him!"

* * *

"So, is it really okay?" Mika asked Billy.

"Yeah. It seems that they accidentally caused a weird reaction, but...it should be safe. Well, safe for us anyways" Billy replied, as he looked around. "Now come on, let me win you a prize at this shooting stall here".

"Okay...but are you sure it will be fine?"

"Yeah, probably...also, I dont want to get close to that maelstrom".

* * *

"Its coming from behind here!" Inuzuka said, sensing an abhorrent and disorderly conflict of energies. "Icarus?"

"Got it, kicking the door down!"

"HOld it, wait for us!" a few others said who had sensed the issue and came over. Such a disturbing array of mana, they were sure Grail was up to something. They could not think of any other option. And it was even trying to be hid, so they had no idea to the true nature of what was going on.

But once they were all in place, Icarus slammed the door open and...

"Ahh! My ears!"

"What is this trap?!"

"Runaway!"

"All the horror!"

It was actually Toko and Rune, singing off key in a kareoke booth. They were both so into it, none of them had noticed the door being swung open, though once they all saw what was going on, they quickly closed it.

A few people had run away already, while others had collapsed on the ground.

"What...was that..."

"Did they start pumping mana into their voices without realizing it?"

"...I dont think I have ever heard such terrible singing before".

Nearly everyone had been put into a mentally scarred state after being exposed to that noise.

Suzuki and Terry, who had been waiting in a distance in case anything went wrong though, just shook their heads.

"Did that really just happen?"

"I...think so..."

"He retreated the moment he got exposed, didn't he".

"...yeah. Even their mana was in a discord when they did that. So much so that when Grail tried to get to them first, while they were isolated and away from their Servants..."

"Well, that shows him for taking a human form with human ears. He was not used to it, so I guess it made him more sensitive".

"I guess the strange solutions are harder to anticipate and counter".

"The question is, who will he go after next?"

"I don't know, but we better prepare to respond".

* * *

"That was fantastic, don't you think?"

"I suppose they did well for filth. Still, we should meet back up with the others. It seems like something is going on".

Marco just went over, to the people who had been doing the puppet show.

"You two did really great! I liked it a whole lot!"

"Thanks. You can call me Serdtse-sensei".

That was when Castor of Red and Castor of Black got inbetween the two Masters.

"Careful about this one. He is the enemy".

"Even in a cease fire, one must continue to be wary".

As the four locked eyes with each other, that was when they suddenly noticed something. The light and air felt different, and suddenly no one was around.

"Well now. Looks like I found some interesting play things".

And near them, Grail appeared. Only rather then waiting to be noticed, he had already formed multiple magic circles and fired multiple flaming spears at the group.

"Get behind us!" Castor of Black said.

"Stay safe!" Castor of Red also added, as they formed a barrier out of pure magic to block the attack.

"Its time to take you both out of the equation! You will become mine!" Grail announced, as he raised his hand. Suddenly, the Command Seals on Marco and Serdtse began to feel like they were burning, and seemed to become unusuable. Additionally, the Servants seemed to freeze up. Serdtse was about to move in to try and attack Grail, to try and endure the pain, when suddenly someone appeared with a spear and attacked them. "Who are...what?"

"Oh, what?" Grail said in a taunting voice. "No thank you? But here I am, reuniting you with your last daughter. Although admittedly, her mind might not be all hers".

Indeed, the one in front of him was his last remaining daughter, Zoloto Serdtse the Vll. Only, she seemed way stronger by what he could sense.

"Indeed. Her rage for you was so great, it was easy to trick her into serving me to kill you, and anyone else I wanted dead. So if you want to stop me, you will have to kill your own daughter! Because she wont stop until she is dead!"

"Thats really mean!"

The Grail started to laugh.

"And for the record, I dragged us all inside a Reality Marble, so I do hope you are not expect help".

Serdtse however, just shot Grail a grin as he felt his body become harder to move.

"...except, we already have it".

And that was when, jumping over Serdtse and Marco, and the Castors...were the puppets from the puppet show! Only, they seemed to jump at high speed and shot themselves right into Grail, punching him and pushing him back, breaking his hold as the puppets began to fly around and strike at him.

"Quickly! Now, Castor!"

"Right! You seem to have forgotten Grail, that while you can control us, you cannot control our Mana! And our creations have been created from our Mana, so they are linked to us and can appear here as well!" Castor mocked as several vehicles drove into the Reality Marble. BUt instead of Transforming normally, these ones broke apart...and wrapped themselves around Serdtse-sensei and Castor of Black, Henry Ford, creating exo-suits that then camoflauged themselves to appear like nothing was there.

Additionally, music began to play. Specifically, the song Monster Without a Name as done by Amalee.

Castor was the first to change in, and brought his fist towards Grail. Grail attempted to use his power to restrain him, and it worked...but it didn't stop Castor.

Now that Castor was in the exo-suit, he could control the exo-suit to control himself. This allowed him to bypass Grail's control and freeze abilities, and continue to fight despite Grail's ability. Technically he had been frozen, but that no longer mattered because Grail could move himself using his mana.

"Castor! We cant let them show us up!"

"Indeed! We are the superior ones here! I wont be saved by them!" he announced, as he poured all of his magic into a new spell using the power of his riches. "Royal Battlegear!"

Suddenly, Marco became engulfed in Golden Armor as well as Castor, and included weapons. It was a bit of a drain, but it enhanced physical abilities as well.

"Alright! Golden Barrage!"

"Noble Phantasm: 4th Crusade!"

Marco shot multiple projections of Golden Swords at Grail while Doge utilized his Noble Phantasm to attack.

"Now, Rocket Enhanced Punch!"

"Missile Barrage!"

Grail used his ability to fly this time, and started to dodge all the attacks as his opponents got closer. He attempted to use his power to freeze Marco using the COmmand Seals, but it appeared that they had copied what the other two did. The Armor was controling their bodies, and they were controlling the armor through Mana.

"Tsk! Get them, Zoloto!"

Zoloto went to block them, but Serdtse deployed a sword and locked swords with her.

"Snap out of it! Break free of his control!"

"...you...deserve...to die! Its all your fault!"

"Haha! SHe is too blinded by rage now to be talked down! Either be killed by your daughter, or kill your daughter!"

"I dont think so!" Henry Ford announced as he moved around behind Grail and attempted to kick him. Grail flew back, and then deployed barriers as Marco and Doge tried to attack him with long range assaults.

"I know the truth you know. You cant keep up those forms forever. All I have to do is outlast you, and then you will become mine!"

"Like we will let you!"

"And how can you stop me? Without Command Seals, you have no power to defeat me!"

Suddenly, a massive roar of a beast seemed to be let out. It was taunting and disorienting, and very loud. But no one was quite sure where it came from, especially since they were inside of a Reality Marble. Not even Grail, who should be its master, knew.

However, that mysterious roar disrupted everything, including the limit on their Command Seals. And they knew they had to take the chance now.

""By this Command Seal, we order you two to destroy Grail!""

""Got it!""

The two charged in, the mana from the Command Seals allowing them to go on an overcharged all out assault. Zoloto tried to move back, to take the blows for Grail, but Serdtse managed to stop her. Grail itself created multiple powerful barriers to block the attacks.

And as the two forces clashed...

"By my own Command Seals...block the attacks and take out the masters!"

Someone appeared and helped block the attacks, as well as launching two projectiles right at their Masters. The two Castors quickly teleported back and blocked them with the power they had left, but they were shocked to what they saw...Lancer of Red.

"What, didn't you know? As I have many, many Command Seals thanks to this body, I am capable of taking possession of unclaimed Servants quite easily. Now, lets finish this. I will take you both out, and claim your servants for my own! Attack, Lancer!"

The moment the sides were about to attack again, cracks began to form in the Reality Marble.

"What? Where did...what Servant is this? A sixteenth Servant? Fine then, I suppose this will have to do for today".

Grail snapped his fingers, and with that he, Zoloto, and Lancer disappeared...and the moment he did, the Reality Marble shattered. Everyone returned to normal, and collapsed to the ground.

"This...is not good at all".

"What did he mean though, a sixteenth servant? What is going on exactly?"

"I am more concerned with how he got onto the grounds so easily..."

* * *

"So, what did you see Archer?" Mika asked, concerned.

"Its as suspected. Whether Grail realized it or not, someone created an opening for him to enter" Billy said. "There really is a third faction hidden in all this, aside from Grail. And they seem to want to fan the flames of conflict. Giving people ideas, causing problems. Mika-chan, you need to be careful".

"But...who would do something like this?"

"I have no clue...yet. But if they are trying to do this, they clearly mean you and all our friends harm Mika-chan. And I wont let that happen. So dont worry, because I promise I will protect your smile".

* * *

**AN:** A chapter focused on our Castors this time around! Hope everyone enjoyed the fight! Grail, you shifty little guy you, using someone's family against them! And you two, Suzuki and Terry! Stop conflicting with each other during the cease fire! Seriously! You better get things into gear! Anyways, hope you enjyoed, and sorry for the wait!


	16. Chapter 16: Two Sabres, Two Blades

**Chapter 16: Two Sabres, Two Blades**

* * *

**AN:** Sorry for the delay, but here you go!

* * *

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, Grail was making his way towards the mountains and away from this mess.

"What was that...a servant not bound by the system? It was not ruler, then who was it that attempted to break into my Reality Marble..." Grail said to himself, as Ajax appeared next to him to help.

"Master, we have..."

Before he could finish, the two sensed an attack and dodged out of the way.

And in the distance, four figures were walking towards him.

"Sorry Grail...but we just cant let you keep this Holy Grail War on hold any more" Suzuki Subaru announced as Sabre appeared next to her.

"Indeed. As much as we cant stand each other, we especially cannot stand you" Terry Blood spoke out, as his Sabre also appeared.

Indeed, two Sabres were there, united in their desire to have the Grail War continue, and to take down the entity known as Grail who had interrupted enough to put it on hold.

"Tsk. Ajax, take on Sabre of Black. I shall handle Sabre of Red myself...Command Steal!"

"I dont think so!" Terry Blood said, as he channeled mana through his Command Seals without actually using one. With this overwhelming rush of mana, combined with the Divinity within Zeus, allowed him to resist the power of Grail. Meanwhile, the other Sabre was a former Ruler Class who still held on to some special privlidges. Because of that, she also could not be taken by Grail's power. As such, Grail was incapable of stealing either Sabre Class Servant, or have any real major impact on him.

"Hmmf! Activate Noble Phantasm: Lucifer's Wings!"

Suddenly, Grail had a pair of black wings appear on his back in his attempt to fly away.

"Did you think you could fly away from me, Zeus? The god of storms and lightning?!"

With a lightning bolt in his hands, Zeus threw it, but not at Grail. Rather, he threw it into the sky, and electrified the clouds. A major storm quickly appeared, and brought down multiple bolts of divine lightning down on Grail.

"Now, my turn! Excalibur!" Joan of Arc said. Although technically using her Ruler Powers to weild Excalibur, it was still accepted as doable, and therefore created a massive blaze that was shot right at Ajax and Grail.

"Not on my watch! Activate Noble Phantasm: Bulwark of the Ajax!" Lancer, or rather Ajax, announced, creating a defense to block the attack and bring the battle back towards their control.

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Champion's Rally!" Grail announced as suddenly Ajax was surrounded in Golden Light.

"A support based Noble Phantasm?!"

"Tsk. YOu think that will defeat a God?!"

"Of course it will. Because like the ancient tales of old, Champions defeat gods".

"Arrogance!" Zeus declared as he sent another storm of lightning his way. Ajax was still using his defensive Noble Phantasm though, but the battle was getting more intense and severe by the second.

The clashing of blades, lightning, lances, and Noble Phantasms had only just begun...and yet, that was not the only thing going on.

* * *

"You are terrible at singing" Rune declared as they walked around the festival, while the sun was setting.

"So are you!" Toko countered, pointing out his own terrible singing voice.

"Better then you though".

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are no..."

Right as they headed into a shortcut between two school buildings, an arrow was suddenly launched at them. Toko summoned his Moonscale Blades and deflected it, but only barely.

"Who is there?"

"There is a ceasefire you know!"

"...but you are working with the enemy, so you must be eliminated...traitor".

"That voice...Malcolm Lee?"

With those words, Malcolm Lee and his servant, Rider of Black appeared. And then, at the same time...Toko and Rune's Command Seals started to glow and feel like they were burning.

"No...he is under Grail's control!"

Yes, Grail had went and created multiple plans. And using two of his various saved up Command Seals, he ordered Rider of Black and his Master to eliminate the two who possessed Assassins. After that last fight, Grail realized how vulnerable he could be to them, and decided to just eliminate them.

"Now then, Rider of Black. With this Command Seal, I order you to eliminate those two" Malcolm said in a lifeless tone.

"Understood, Master" Rider replied as he charged in. And with their Command Seals like this, neither of them could summon their servants to help.

"Rune: Barrier!" Rune announced as he created a barrier to endure the attacks.

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Flame Emperor!"

And Toko summoned multiple floating swords and spears made of flame, all of them charging at Rider of Black.

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Pulseblaster Cannons!" Rune announced as he fired two powerful projectiles from his palms, heading right towards Malcolm. Meanwhile, Toko suddenly moved above with rapid movement, and brought down multiple slash attacks.

However, Rider of Black unleashed a volley upon them both, forcing them to take cover and regroup. It appeared that Rider of Black was quite capable as a Servant.

"Fine then..."

"...very well..."

Suddenly, an overwhelming amount of mana could be felt from the both of them.

* * *

"Tsk".

Grail clicked his tongue as he not only held off against an assault against two Sabres, but saw what was going on at the festival. The two masters of assassin, in one of their most vulnerable moments both being away from their Servants, were managing on their own. And that technique they had just used...was troublesome.

However, he did not have any wiggle room to deal with it as he had his own issues, mainly the two Sabres.

"Don't forget about us!" the two masters said, suddenly appearing at either side of Grail. Suzuki drew a sword and dealt a slash to his left, while Terry unleashed a mana infused punch to his right.

"Tsk. YOu know, most mages stand in the rear, hiding in the shadows, waiting and plotting. But you two...you are unusually aggressive".

"It can't be helped. We understand that weakness that comes with not knowing close quarters combat..."

"...and so in addition to physical abilities, we possess magic that lets us delve into that area".

The ultimate team up, of two Sabres, and two of the strongest Masters. None of them apparently can be affected by Grail's abilities, for different reasons. For Suzuki, it is emotion. For Terry, his tempered spirit. For Joan, it is her Ruler Qualities. And for Zeus, it is his Divinity.

By far, it is the least ideal situation of them all.

"Now, by this Command Seal...elimiante them all!"

"Understood!"

And then, Ajax clashed with Zeus and Joan once more, creating a powerful shockwave. Thunder and lightning rained down, and then Joan quickly ducked down and went behind Ajax, striking his back. However, as she did, he twisted around and managed to deal a blow to Zeus. Meanwhile, Grail activated another Noble Phantasm, as it appeared he was able to use them now all of a sudden, and unleashed a massive tidal wave that came from nowhere.

"Did you honestly think you could defeat me with force?! This is my Grail War! And I shall be the victory! I shall not be ignored!"

"Just shut up, you idiotic talking cup!"

"Get smashed to pieces!"

Another flurry of blows, as Grail was knocked back. He landed on his feet though, and braced himself. The next few blows were endured, and he knocked them all away.

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Clarent Blood Arthur!"

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Storm God's Wraith!"

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Avalon!"

"Now, take this!"

"And this!"

"Activate Noble Phantasm, SPear of the Lessar!"

So many blows and strikes, all activated at once. A litteral storm of attacks and blows, of flurries and hits. Overhead, a massive storm had begun as a reaction, with rain drenching the entire area.

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Poison Mist!"

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Divine Judgement!"

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Wheel of Fate!"

As Zeus tried to hit Grail with another attack, Grail suddenly had himself and Zeus switch places, and caused him to attack himself. After all, nothing better to attack Divinity then with Divinity.

"Damnit! He must have been saving this as a trump card! He has access to all the Noble Phantasms!"

"Yes. That is right! Now...Activate Noble Phantasm: Magius Obliteration!"

Suddenly, what appeared to be dozens of orbs appeared in the sky, floating there. And then, almost instantly afterwards, they unleashed a massive assault on all four of them, firing powerful beams of magic. Even for Sabres of their quality, with all their defensive abilities and Magic Resistance, it was practically unthinkable for them to get out of this unscathed...

"Denied!" a voice cried out as they intercepted the attack. Flying on the back of a winged creature, some mysterious figure dressed in a black cloak, top hat, and mask appeared. This person had pink hair though, and launched an attack against Grail as well.

"What the..." Grail announced in shock, but Ajax was quick to defend his new master. Still, the being in front of them had gotten close to dealing critical damage. And they seemed to have the strength of a Servant.

"Wait...that weird getup...vice principle?!"

"That is your freaking vice principle?! Why are they riding a Griffon?!" Terry Blood exclaimed.

"Hey! He is a Hippogriff, not a Griffon!"

"Whatever!"

"The hell...who are you girl?!" Grail shouted in rage.

"I am the hero here to defeat you!" the mysterious figure said, which in that exact moment caused Joan to realize who she...or rather, he, was.

_Astolfo?! You are...why didn't you let me know you were here?!_

As her inner thoughts went like that, Astolfo turned back...and gave a thumbs up.

"Don't worry! I have my reasons!"

_Dont spout such reasonless things! We both know the moon is out so you dont have reason! Why else appear in such a manner!?_

"To think there was a sixteenth Servant..."

"Hahahaha! Oh no, it would be against the rules for me to participate, unless something weird happens. AKA you. Sherlocky would hate it if I joined in normally, but...you are interefering, breaking rules, causing issues ya know? So, its only natural he would let me appear to deal with you".

Yes, Astolfo had no plans to assist. Even if the rest of the student body was allowed to, it would be a major violation of all the rules of Astolfo did so. As such, Astolfo had been sitting on the sidelines up until now, but since now someone had gone and broken the rules, he was able to get some punches in finally.

"Anyways, you crazy kids feel free to go all out on this guy. So long as I am here, using my Noble Phantasm, we are good".

"Thats fine, but...I thought you couldn't remember it under a full moon?"

"Oh, yeah I had issues, so I wrote it down!" Astolfo announced.

"...thats...actually pretty good..."

"Well then, if Grail's unreasonable ability to call upon such powerful Noble Phantasms is being countered, then lets finish this!"

"Command Steal!"

At thsi time, Grail tied to take Astolfo, but...

"Sorry! As a winner, and thanks to my wish, you can't get me with that little trick! Hehehe!"

"Fine then...in that case...Activate Noble Phantasm: Gate of Babylon!"

"Oh son of a..." was all Terry could get out as multiple portals appeared behind Grail and multiple weapons open fired on them. Zeus began shooting them down while Joan blocked with Excalibur, but now things were just getting unreasonable.

"Very well then...I guess we have no choice..." Suzuki and Terry agreed, as they looked at each other.

"By this Command Seal, we order you...to release your full power and take out Grail!"

And then, mana surged from Zeus and Joan, who brought forth even greater power.

"Stop messing up and interrupting our damn Greater Grail War!"

"Yeah, show em Joan!"

"Damnit!" Grail shouted, as he was overwhelmed by the sudden attacks by the Sabre Class Servants. "By my remaining Command Seals...take my power, and make sure you stick around and cause them all problems Ajax!"

And so, as Grail was overcome by the attacks...Ajax disappeared in taht moment, leaving no trace.

* * *

"That...was a pretty good field test" Rune said, looking at his fist as the glowing subsided.

"I suppose you are happy about this, given the outcome" Toko remarked semi jokingly. Meanwhile, they looked at the fading Rider of Black, and the unconscious Malcolm Lee. The glow around him also faded.

"We cant tell anyone about what happened here though. Not the truth anyways. Who should we say he attacked, me or you? It cant be both of us".

"Well..." Toko started, when he sensed something. "Hey, that thing you mentioned?"

"Yeah, I felt it. Come on, lets hurry".

And so, the two left the unconscious Malcolm and the fading Rider Class Servant there, who chuckled a little.

"...just how many sides are there to this fight..." he muttered. "Still...to think they had something like that...very clever indeed..."

"What the..." Malcolm said, waking up. And then, he saw Rider of Black. "What happened?! Rider?! Do you need more mana?"

"Unfortunately, I was dealt a critical blow. You have to...beware...Toko Kiragime".

"Wait, did he..."

"No, we were ambushed by Grail, and taken control of. Then we ambushed them, and they defended themselves...but, be warned...Toko is indeed not normal...beware his ultimate technique..."

And then, before he could finish, Rider faded away. Malcolm seemed a bit shocked at all this, and then noticed the footprints of two hurried kids off in a direction, and decided to follow. It was unfortunate he lost his servant, but...he was not out of this yet. After all, although it would be terrible, if a Master was lost, he could get their Servant. Or maybe convince a servant with a living master to switch sides. He didn't really have a wish, but...he didn't want to be completely excluded before the final battle.

So, he decided to follow them, as the footsteps seemed to be headed towards the woods.

* * *

"So now, what do we plan to do with...huh?"

As Astolfo approached to where the remains of Grail, or to be specific the Lesser Grail should be...there was nothing there. No Lesser Grail, no nothing. It too had disappeared...

"When did...where did it go?"

* * *

And meanwhile, in a shed off campus...Toko and Rune stood across from each other, with a magic circle in the center. At first, nothing appeared, but then...something emerged from a portal made above it, and the Lesser Grail fell down.

"I can't believe you managed to do this without anyone noticing, including Grail. Nice one, Rune".

"Thanks. It was pretty close, but with Set's help, it worked" Rune said as he thought back.

Flashbacking onto the train, there was a moment when Set got really close and behind Grail during the fight. In that moment, when no one could see him and notice any odd movements with all the intense fighting, Set had planted one of Rune's Runes onto Grail...or to be specific, the Lesser Grail.

"And with this, no matter what happens, we can secure our victory".

"Three wishes in total. One from the Lesser Grail, which should be safe to use if we have it next to the Greater Grail, and two wishes from the Greater Grail itself".

"Which means...we can grant our wish, and the wishes of our servants".

"And it means...we are in the lead!"

"And we have outmanuevered whatever people are working in the background".

The two fistbumped each other, and smiled.

"And even if one or both of us lose, so long as we have the Lesser Grail we can still win. But still, lets do our best tomorrow, alright?"

"Yeah! No holding back!"

* * *

Sherlock watched over the whole campus, from the highest point.

"So, it seems that the final battle...is quickly approaching. Toko and Rune have their secret trump cards, Ren Nakamura has decieved everyone and plans to take the spoils for herself, a mysterious third group is working in secret, and the Castors have finished their own preparations. Then, I guess...it is reaching the final moments of the apex..."

* * *

And as that was going on, and Horus was walking down the street exhausted of competing with his twin brother all day...his Eye of Horus activated again, and showed him another vision...one where Toko was on the ground, not moving and bloody...as if he was dead.

"...no...not this time...I wont let it happen" Horus muttered to himself, a personal declaration.

And so, the climax to this Greater Holy Grail War approached rapidly.

* * *

**AN:** And there you have it! Grail was defeated, the Lesser Grail was stolen, and lines are becoming blurry! Who will win? Who will lose? Who will die? Stay tuned to find out!


	17. Chapter 17: The Final Battle Begins

**Chapter 17: The Final Battle Begins**

* * *

**AN:** Yosh! Heyo everyone! Just thought I would let you all know that I made a Discord! All you have to do is go to Discord in your browser or App, go to the Join Server option, and enter this code: WTDUGBq

Hope you come and join our growing community!

* * *

"This is an absolutely terrible idea" Billie the Kid said as the masters and servants remaining stood around the war table.

"I think its a great plan!" Ford replied as he moved one of the pieces on the board. "Think about it, we do it like that, then all points will be covered".

"I am not exactly in love with this part of the plan" Toko mentioned, pointing out the area in the hills.

"Well, its the best way for you and Horus to operate".

"And we need someone to deal with that".

* * *

"They will be expecting us to attack from all sides. Even the sky" Terry Blood told them as they looked over their own War Table. "However, they wont be expecting us to make use of the Tower. Castor, did you complete your preparations?"

"Yes sir. They wont know what they will be hitting".

"ALright. Rune, Set, you know your targets?"

"Yessir. We will take them down".

"Alright. Masters of Archer, Castor, Assassin, and Rider should stay here with me though".

"Sorry, that won't work" Rune replied.

* * *

"Their assassin and his Master will both be participating in the assault" Toko told them, moving some peices around. "Their goal will be simple. They will try to strike and eliminate our power base, and they wont hold back. While the frontal assault attacks us, they will come at us from behind, sneak attack us, like what happened near the start".

* * *

"And to do that, I will need to be near the battle, keeping Assassin supplied with mana".

"Fine. In that case, Berserker's master, I will need you here".

"I cant promise anything. Why?"

"Because of their assassin. They will absolutely, positively..."

* * *

"...think that we will go after them. And they will be expecting that" Toko explained. "Which means, their Headquarters will be a trap. In order to face us, they will hole up in there, but they will need a certain amount of masters on the outside to handle the situation".

* * *

"They will probably be expecting this, but what they dont realize is that we still have the advantage with Zeus".

* * *

"They will press their advantage with the god" Suzuki told them, moving the Zeus piece towards the city. "And it will be even more intense then before".

* * *

"We need to attack from all sides, in a litteral sense. And most importantly...we need to steal..."

* * *

"We need to protect..."

* * *

""The Holy Grail!"" (Yep, it split screened)

* * *

"So lets get our forces into position".

* * *

"So lets get ready for our final assault".

* * *

"Team one. Standing by" Rider mentioned as an astral projection of her master, Kasai Kori, stood with her. Right at the moment, they were on a boat well off the coast, preparing for an ocean side invasion.

Kasai however looked out through her binoculars, to scope out the situation.

"It looks like...there is some girl there, and the one we believe is Archer of Black".

"So they brought artillery to shell us before we could reach the beach huh? Interesting".

* * *

"Team two is so far in the clear" Castor of Red replied, as he stood on a hill that overlooked the entire surrounding area. A projection of Marco was with him as well. "I am well in the back, so I dont see my opponent".

"Watch out for Assassin then. We have a report they lost their rider somehow, probably due to Grail".

"Understood. And Lancer of Red?"

"We have no idea what he might do now. Be careful".

* * *

"This is team three" Assassin of Red reported as he and Rune looked over the area. "We have confirmed multiple targets to strike. But we dont see their Saber. They have not detected us".

* * *

"THis is Team Four" Sabre of Red reported, a bit annoyed. "It appears that the enemy sabre has not appeared yet. I do not think that one would remain hidden though, which would imply she was back at base for some reason".

* * *

"This is Team five" Archer of Red reported, watching from the sky. "I have confirmed visual on their Lancer. It looks like my opponent is her...and here I wanted a rematch with their archer".

* * *

"This is team six" the projection of Berserker's master reported. "I think I drew an unlucky straw or something. I am looked at another Berserker".

Everyone on comms went silent for a moment.

"...Berserker vs Berserker fight?"

"...huh".

"Good luck!"

"Try not to die!"

"Hey! Dont count us out like that! I have a Berserker too!"

"But they have the home field advantage, dont forget".

He just sighed. "Yeah, I know".

* * *

"Alright then...and begin!"

The moment that happened, all members of Red Team went in for the kill.

Rider of Red launched herself off the boat with the projection of her Master as she summoned her mount, and began racing towards the beachfront at top speed.

Meanwhile, Billie made sure to hold his master's hand.

"You can do it. We all believe in you. So...lets work as an awesome team, Master".

"Un!" she replied, much more confident then when she started in this Grail War. And then...she activated her magic.

Even if most Servants had some form of magic resistance, even powerful versions, it did not make them completely immune. But even more importantly...Mika-chan was a water user. Stationed at the beach front. That was why they were assigned there, rather then somewhere tehy could hold the enemy Archer off at.

"Ice Spectacle!" Mika cast, and then suddenly huge amounts of ice spikes shot out of the ocean and at Rider.

"Ha, you think that normal Magecraft will..." Rider started, when one of them hit her...and it actually hurt. The moment she realized that, she slowed her charge and focused on evasion. "Damn, that girl has quite the..."

Suddenly, Rider found herself dodging as she realized she was being targeted by Archer in her evasion paths.

That was the fearsome defense put up by one Master and one Servant. Mika launched an all out water assault, and then BIllie targeted the areas Rider would evade to and shot them with his more powerful attacks. They were clearly prepared for such an attack, and planned accordingly.

"Well, we knew this would happen..."

* * *

Flashing back to the war meeting...

"Dont forget, they have Horus and his Noble Phantasm, Eye of Horus. They will see us coming no matter what plan we make".

"Which means, catching them off guard is impossible".

"Not...quite" Set replied. "There might be a way. But it will involve our Sabre overloading his power in a spectacularly unstable and random way. That will create so many potential possibilities, it should be able to slow down his ability and make it harder for them to predict what we will do, since we will be basing how we attack and evade on whether we will get hit and affected by the storm or not".

* * *

"Fine then. I shall show you the true power of a God" Zeus mentioned as he took a step towards the city. ANd with that step, he summoned his Divine power...and overloaded it in the sky, causing a massive storm of Divine Lightning to appear and create an epic level storm in an instant.

* * *

"Where did this storm come from?" one of the students guarding the main way into the city asked.

"Its the enemy" another replied. "Look, it appears their GOd is here, and in his true form".

Indeed, the group looked, and saw a giant, glowing, divine looking man approaching them. They could feel his power, and it was massive leaps beyond their own. There was no way they could fight him. They were basically toast.

"Interesting...no Sabre came to fight me?"

"I have a problem!" Simon called out, or his projection did anyways.

* * *

Standing in from of him now, it was not just Berserker of Black...but Sabre of Black had appeared as well.

"Sabre...Sabre is here for some reason!"

* * *

"What?!" Icarus' master replied, even more shocked. This was far from anything he had anticipated. "Is this confirmed? Both Berserker and Sabre are there?!"

"Indeed! They are both here! Can someone send me backup?"

"I am too far, on the other side" Rune reported.

"But then...other then Assassin, all Servants are accounted for right? Do they plan on sending Assassin after Sabre?"

"Its possible..." Set mentioned. "But this doesn't feel right. Why are there so many students guarding the front?"

"Wait, wait...you two said you have eyes on Castor?"

"Yeah?"

"Is he smiling?"

Rune looked through the binoculars again.

"...yes. And he is looking towards Sabre".

* * *

"Yes, Suzuki-chan?" Serdtse-sensei replied as he answered his phone.

"Everyone has eyes on their target. Do it, now. Lets start the party".

"Rodger!" Serdtse-sensei replied, as he went over to texts and sent a single word in a group chat. "Go".

* * *

"You heard him! Lets do this!" Hanaba Kyosuke-kun, Yamagi Reika-chan, Yamari Uzumi-chan, and Takeru Hoshi-kun confirmed as they got the text, and activated a new App on their phones. "Access Code: Full Throttle!"

It also seemed like they were doing some syncronized movement as well. "Syncro Code: Megaburst!"

And then, suddenly they were surrounded by a sphere of glowing light...as several, no dozens, maybe even hundreds, of cars began to glow around the city...and then flew into the air and towards each other. COunltess parts on them moved and re-arranged themselves accordingly, forming various parts and features. In addition, then many of them began to connect together, linking and hardening themselves.

And then, in the end...it became one form, combined of multiple Ford Mechars. It was...Ford Mechar: Prime! And in its core, four chairs raised out of hte ground with those four in them.

"Takeru Hoshi, taking command!"

"Yamagi Reika, priming weapons!"

"Hanaba Kyosuke, securing functions and targeting!"

"Yamaru Uzumi, handling support systems!"

""""Ford Mechar: Prime! Ready to fight!""""

Meanwhile, counltess members of the Red Faction looked at this scene as if they wanted to believe it was all fiction, that they were watching some children's TV show.

"...you have got to be kidding me..." Zeus said, wanting to facepalm.

"Cool! Can I get one of those?" Icarus asked.

"Just...don't let them distract you and charge forward!"

Zeus decided to do exactly that, and charged forward towards the giant robot with a fistful of lightning. Mechar Prime however went and matched that punch, grabbing it in his fist. Naturally, Zeus tried to use his lightning to electrocute them instantly...

"Ha! We have access to rubber and insulation! It won't be that easy!" Reika shouted.

"Activating Booster Punch!" Kyosuke reported.

"Go! Booooster Punch!" Hoshi shouted energetically as the free hand with the aid of boosters in the arm went and impacted Zeus right in the face, and made him stumble backwards. "Yeah! Take that!"

* * *

Meanwhile...

"Damn, this Lancer is fast! Why dont you just go stab yourself, Lancer?!" Icarus shouted as he evaded all the incoming attacks. That said, she was clearly very determined to hit him. Icarus had a clear advantage since he could fly, but she was launching attack after attack to make it bothersome.

"Quickly! Take him down! We have places to be!"

"Indeed! There are many puritans we must burn!"

Icarus quickly drew his weapons and fired a huge volley of arrows. Both Ren and Lancer managed to dodge, but they were being exhausted. Icarus had the advantage here, the only drawback being that Ren could easily supply her servant with mana either then his master could for him.

* * *

"At least you are making progress!" Simon said as he avoided another attack along with Berserker. "These guys mean business! I am two against one here!"

"Well then, in that case...use that plan!"

"...alright then, but understand how dangerous this could be" Simon replied, as he looked towards his Berserker. "Berserker...Max out Mad Enhance!"

And then, just like that...Berserker seemed to totally lose it as it gained huge amounts of power. Simon floated backwards meanwhile and took a laid back position.

"Well, its pointless to try and coordinate now. Better just let him rampage and hope for the best".

"Good. And with that distraction, we will be moving out".

As Castor of Red said that, a huge shadow began to appear over him. No, rather, it was something else entirely. It was Sky Tower, a tower which along with the land it used to be on, floated in the sky. Only, the once empty island was now filled with something...it was filled with Castor's Territory. Indeed, Castor of Red's land was headed right for the domain of Black, with all the potential danger that it would impose.

* * *

"Progress is proceeding as planned" Castor reported, as the floating island headed towards the city.

However, his barrier suddenly took damage as several attacks hit it, and one broke through and caused him damage before he could pull himself back.

"...and I have found some trash known as Assassin of Black".

"Hey, Castor. Impressive barrier...but, I am afraid you made a mistake already".

Suddenly, Castor felt his entire body pulsate, and brought him to his knees.

"As an Assassin, you should consider the possibility I have poison".

He felt it pulsate again, as his strength was leaving him.

"...you...what the..."

"This is a special poison. Its meant for something far more powerful then you, a certain something or someone, but...I have more of it, so its fine to test and confirm its effectiveness".

Castor then dropped to his hands and knees, in clear and visible pain.

"YOu trash! What the hell is this?!"

"Its a Holy Grail War of course" Horus told him, smiling. "ANd we are playing to win".

"You...you should not have made it here so easily..."

"Well, lets just say we have found a way to make everyone happy".

And yet, right when he looked on Death's door...it looked as if he was surged with mana and vitality.

"Now, take this!" Castor screamed as he launched multiple attacks using his territory and Noble Phantasms.

"Tsk. A Command Spell huh?" Horus said. "No...perhaps, two of them? That was powerful poison after all".

He dodged, and went after Castor again. Castor teleported himself, only to barely avoid a dagger thrown at him. And yet, a second dagger seemed to have been thrown as it hit his arm. Still, the Command Spells in place let him resist the poison, at least for now.

Horus however disappeared from view. This caused Castor to move to the side, and begin making use of his Noble Phantasms to just attack everywhere that was not here. Still, things felt as if they were tense, as multiple attacks and strikes came at him.

"You really are an annoying piece of trash".

"And you are an annoying biggoted old fart!"

"You dare say that to me, your superior?!"

"Last time I checked, you were not my superior! YOu were barely even important!"

"Shut your damn mou...th..." Castor started to scream, when he felt two knives plunge into his back.

"The thing about racists, is that they are very easy to distract" Horus said, walking over and picking up his knives. "Well then, I suppose phase one is done..."

And then, he saw it again, in a vision. As the Sky Tower came to a halt...and then started to slowly descend and lower itself to the ground as Castor's territory disappeared, he saw it again. Toko, dead on the ground. And he saw someone else there, besides himself...it was Assassin of Red.

"...this is a Greater Holy Grail war after all...I wont let that happen" Horus decided for himself, before he decided to move out. "I wont let anyone take anything away from me ever again".

* * *

**AN:** And so, the final battle is on! Who will claim the Holy Grail? Who will get their wish granted? Who is scheming in the shadows? It looks like we are close to finding out!


	18. Chapter 18: Revelations

**Chapter 18: Revelations**

"Its annoying just waiting here like sitting ducks" Inuzuka mentioned as they stood there, supplying mana and assitance from long range.

"Its better that then us getting picked off one by one by Assassin of Black, who just took out Castor".

"And we still have no visual on Assassin's Master, Toko".

"Well no matter, because right now we should focus on the battles" Terry mentioned.

_The loss of Castor was earlier then expected, but ultimately wont hinder the plan. Still, with Marco here, he can still be of use to us._

* * *

"HYPER ENERGIZED PUNCH!" Mechar: Prime's pilots shouted as they used voice commands to help activate the systems. They totally were not doing it just because they were pumped up and ready for action, nor from being really excited about things.

"Storm God's Vengance!" it shouted as it dealt damage back to them equal to the damage he took.

"Shields are holding! Wiping them clean of damage now!"

"Activating extra rocket thrusters. Ultra-Rocket punch is ready to go!"

"Alright then, lets do it! Ultra Rocket Punch!"

And so another rocket boosted punch was delivered to the giant god of storms, Zeus.

"If we survive this, we are making this into a manga!"

"And an anime!"

"Agreed!"

"Well right now, focus on the enemy ahead! We dont have infinite stamina!"

""""THEN LETS DO IT! MICROBARRAGE MISSILES, FIRE!""""

The valient efforts of those four were keeping Sabre well occupied, while other forces fought elsewhere. However...

"Hold on...something just rushed by us and cut one of our power lines!"

"Who was it?"

"Its...Assassin of Red! Castor, you have inbound!"

* * *

Castor and Rune lept from rooftop to rooftop, closing in on Castor.

"We finally have him in our sights. We take out Castor, and it should make Sabre able to go through with ease! No way that construct can keep moving if the one who made it is gone!"

"Maybe...but, just in case thats why we damaged it right?"

"Exactly!"

* * *

Joan dodged the Berserker's violent assault as she moved with grace, while the other Berserker moved in to the fight.

"How are you doing?"

"This thing...is really tough!"

"Then we have no choice! Use it!"

"Right...Berserker, use your Noble Phantasm! Power it up to full using this Command Seal!"

And then, Berserker seemed to buff up in strength, rushing right into the fray and going full on berserker. She fought using wolf like power, and used her claws to the fullest as well as her teeth. Though it didn't look overly effective at first, she sheer ferocity had increased a huge amount, as if she had gotten a boost. That was the effect of her Noble Phantasm, Wolf's Call. That was the power that her myth held, as the Big Bad Wolf.

And then, in a shocking surprise...the enemy Berserker launched a suicide attack, using all of his power and ability to engulf and overwhelm her rather then focusing on defense!"

At first, the masters who watched this were confused, until they remembered Berserker's ability that is.

"Wait, no! Berserker, pull back!" Suzuki shouted.

"Berserker, get back here now! Escape!"

Berserker tried to pull back, but Berseker of Red had already charged forward, rushing in and using all of his power for damage. Berserker pulled back even further...but then fire burst out and overwhelmed the field, flooding everywhere and anywhere. Causing no escape to be possible, as flames overwhelmed everything...as Berserker of Red self destructioned.

"Sabre!"

"Right! Noble Phantasm: Avalon!"

Sabre burst into gear though, using her Noble Phantasm just in time as Berserker of Black got roasted to save her...while the Berserker of Red seemed to fall.

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Burning Life" the boy, the master who approached them, spoke as another Command Seal was used of his. And as such...Berserker came back to life, right then and there, in front of them. "Now, finish off Berserker of Black with your other Noble Phantasm! Fill the battlefield with fire!"

And thus, once again a huge inferno errupted and brought forth a cataclysm of fire down upon them.

"No! Berserker!" Lobo yelled, as the flames overwhelmed them. Joan used Avalon once more ot try and stop it, but...the flames flowed through so much, it could not stop them from going around and incinerating Berserker of Black.

"Berserker, by these remaining Command Seals, heal up and live!"

Lobo used his Command Seals in a desperate attempt, a risky move with Berserker...and it seemed to work for a moment. But then, it charged forward again, with another suicidal attack that seemed to defy all logic. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but...eventually the flames broke through Avalon...and Berserker was lost.

Even Sabre was harmed a bit from that attack, but now Sabre looked very pissed off too.

"I wont let you get away with hurting a team member!" she shouted, and brought forth Excalibur. All of her energy rushing into it, she charged straight ahead and went to cut it in two.

"It wont be that eas...y?"

However, suddenly a rush of mana went into Sabre. That was because Suzuki made use of Networked Mana, and then flowed that mana into Sabre, to power her up. She had actually been doing that for awhile, but for what felt like only a few minutes to some people, it had actually already been an hour since the battle started. Since the war had decided to face a conclusion.

And Berserker found himself skewered, unleashing a final suicide attack on Sabre...however...

"By my final Command Seal, use your Noble Phantasm again...and return!"

And thus, Berserker rose once more to fight.

"Fine then. That is your last life though".

* * *

"It looks like they are here" Serdtse-sensei mentioned, as Rune and Assassin of Red arrived. "So you are our opponents in this fight?"

"Yeah, we are..." Rune said, but he had a bad feeling about something. "You are Russian, are you not?"

"Well, thats an odd observation. Why do you..."

"I thought as much. Sorry if this seems random, but would you mind telling me where Ruler is?"

Serdtse-sensei furrowed his brow at the mention of Ruler.

"Waht do you need by that?"

"Well, its just I heard about all the strangeness going on about your side. Systems disabling themselves, people seemingly vanishing without anyone noticing, and suddenly for some reason, suggests someone on the inside. I thought Ruler might want to know it is you".

"Ha! What the hell are you talking abo..."

"You are the Traitor for the Black Faction, right? Tell me, why do you think I made sure not to be at Red HQ during this fight?"

Serdtse-sensei narrowed his eyes with disdain.

"You calling me a traitor?"

"I am saying, each side has a traitor. For some time now, I know there have been some suspicions of traitors both in the Black and Red sides. Thats one of the reasons the Red Side is always so tense, we could just feel something was off. How did we learn about the Holy Grail? How did they know to be prepared this much for all of our assaults? The Eye of Horus can do a lot, but this much? This is just too much prepwork. Someone wanted these fights to happen, probably to try and have everyone kill each other off quickly. Which means...each side must have a traitor. And, out of everyone, aside from Toko who I know is not the traitor, you are the only one who never took to the battlefield directly, never put yourself at risk, only others. I am sure those children are probably safe, but to send them against Sabre...what is motivating you exactly? Why did you unleash Grail on us?"

"Wait, what? Grail?"

"Yeah, Grail. Unless, you seriously expect me to believe that Grail "suddenly" became sentient, "Suddenly" was able to move, "suddenly" decided to attack us all now? You see, as I maybe mentioned, I had put a trace Rune on Luca, to follow his movements. So, I was actually aware of the oddness of his movements first, and had Set watch from a concealed position. And then, between that, and other reports I got, I learned something interesting".

"You mean my daughter?"

"I mean that you paid for your daughter's ticket here. That you paid for your daughter's ticket here, and suddenly she is with Grail, on his side, helping him? You put on a good act in front of Marco and Castor, they told us all what you wanted them to, about the conflict and control...but, you can stop now, Traitor-sensei. Tell me, who are you truly working for?"

Serdtse-sensei stood silent for a moment...and then glared at Rune.

"For my family".

"What, are you telling me your daughter..."

"Not my daughter, the rest of my family" Serdtse replied solemnly. "If you did background checks, you probably know about me by now. Well, the truth is...this entire HOly War was orchistrated by secret group inside The Church".

"...The Church, is it?"

"Yes. And to assure my support, they are keeping my wife and children prisoner...forcing me to work for them".

"Then, the reason the HOly Grail is here..."

"That was actually something tehy did not plan on, but made use of it. Sending me in to ensure that things went there way though...they want to use this war to wipe out some of the remaining mage families with serious power, have everyone wipe each other out, and then take them all out. Especially the one who conjured the Greater Grail here...Suzuki".

"Suzuki did?"

"Yes. It seems her father was some big Mage Scientist who was convinced to work on some special project, given some ridiculous name...HeroBurst I think. It was all done, even the ridiculous name, to draw attention from one way to create new Servants...and that would be to use the remains of a Holy Grail to help bolster their power, pumping the infinite mana out of it. They had a method to connect to the Grail, so she set up a system...a system to Network Mana, and bring the Greater Grail here. The True Grail. As for why she summoned it, it was probably for a Wish".

"So that is it huh?"

"Still, I cant let you win. If the Grail goes to them, they will give me my family. They will be safe. So we cant lose".

"Fine then...game on!"

* * *

**AN:** Sorry it was so short, I had planned to go on longer, but this felt like such a good ending point, and the battles are still going on! And my brain started to malfunction. Might end up accelerating the release of the next chapter to compensate.


	19. Chapter 19: Conflict

**Chapter 19: Conflict**

* * *

**AN:** Meant to post this earlier, but for some reason my brain keeps malfunctioning. Maybe its Fanfiction's curse...it knows I am getting close to completing, actually completing, a SYOC, and is trying to stop me. Then again, maybe I just need to watch Fate again. I always get inspiration for something when I watch something else...

* * *

While Rune and Set fought against Castor and Serdtse...

Archer of Black and Rider of Red dished it out against each other, both of them fighting with all they had. Slowly but surely though, Rider of Red was taking more and more damage, faced against the team of Mika and BIlly the Kid.

"Face the power of my new and improved handcannons! Deadshot!"

Billy the Kid then fired an even more powerful, supercharged round of his attacks, tearing through the ocean and coming right at Castor.

Castor however spun around and created a wave to cover her as she dodged. BIlly kept dodging, but as he tore the wave apart...she seemed to have disapepared.

"What the..."

"Above us!" Billy shouted, as he grabbed Miku and threw her out of the way as he himself tried to dodge Rider's attack, as she came in from above.

"Finally...I made it to land. YOu sure have made things annoying as hell to get here".

"Rider of Red".

"Archer of Black...now, its time for payback!"

Rider of Red then charged right in...and Miku knew the odds. Rider of Red...also known as Mordrid. Son of King Arthur. Or daughter in this case. The one who was a knight, who could be summoned as a Sabre Class, or even Berserker. Against an Archer, in close range...he stood no chance. Billy was going to die. And she could only watch.

_"Don't make that face, Miku-chan"._

_"See Miku-chan, you are great!"_

_"You can do it, Miku-chan!"_

_"I believe in you, Miku-chan!"_

_"Trust me, Miku-chan. You have friends here, friends who are ready to help you"._

_"You are not alone Miku-chan. Even when I am gone, you have the friends and allies you fought beside"._

_Thats right...this is a Grail War...but...I just cant...I cant lose the one friend that matters the most!_

And thus, right at the moment Mordrid reached Archer of Black...she was blasted away by a torrent of water so strong, it was as if her Magic Resistance was not even a factor. And then, the two servants looked to see who was responsible...and saw a giant twister of water right behind Miku.

"I wont...I wont let you kill...I wont let you kill my best friend! Even if I have to fight, I wont stand idly by and let my friend be hurt right in front of me!"

_See...I knew you could do it, Miku-chan. And now, you finally do to. You have understood the overwhelming power deep inside you...a rare abnormality of the present world. A human who naturally possesses the power to become a Heroic Spirit through sheer ability. A mage with passion._

"That is the spirit! Lets do this, Miku-chan!"

"Yes! By this Command Seal, Billy the Kid...destroy Rider of Red!"

"Understood!" BIlly said as he gleamed with energy.

"Crap...looks like they are getting serious. Master!"

"Right! By this Command Seal, Rider of Red, defeat them and move on towards the goal!"

And so, the two masters utilized Command Seals as their battle went to the next level.

"Water Cyclone!"

* * *

"Now, take her down, Berserker!" Simon shouted.

"Excalibur! Avalon! Show him our power!"

And once again, Berserker and Sabre clashed. Even though Sabre knew she needed to get back, to deal with their Sabre, this one had to be dealt with first. Even thought they were down a Berserker themselves...it seemed that things were just not going their way. The luckless, she supposed.

"Now, finish it Berserker!"

Those words rang out...but it was not Simon who said them, as the Berserker of Black reappeared.

"You cant defeat the big bad wolf that easily...she needs to take at least one person down first. Thats how the story goes!"

"You are really stubborn! Must be Battle Continuation..."

"Sabre! Pull back now!"

Joan pulled back, as Berserker of BLack who seemed to have managed to pull through, came out and attacked with the remains of her strength.

"Castor of Black seems to be fighting Assassin of Red...we need to move back into the city".

"But what about..."

"Berserker! Wait! Thats enough! Their strength is reduced! We can pull back!"

"...sorry, master...but, this can be the only was a fight between two Berserkers ends..." she replied, as she overloaded her own magical energy.

"A suicide bomb?!"

"Wait! No! Why?!"

"Because...I know you can find happiness!"

"So she is taking the easy way out instead of taking the risk..." Simon muttered to himself. "Well...I suppose I was never in it to win anyways".

He muttered that half assed drama killing line, as the two berserkers exploded into magical energy.

* * *

"Exo-Suit! Full power!"

"Snare Rune!"

Rune trapped Serdtse-sensei in a huge snare.

"Tell me, I want to know. How did you think this would go? DId you think it was like an anime, where there would be some epic, tear filled battle of whits and power?" Rune asked, as Serdtse-sensei fell to the ground while Castor collapsed. The image of Rune then disappeared, and he appeared behind them, holding the Moonscale blades. "You forget, Set is of the Assassin class. That is not how we roll".

"Th...those blades...it couldn't be..."

"You are aware, aren't you. Of Toko's Origins?"

"Its...you are..."

Rune took off his disguise rune, and revealed his true form...one identical to Toko.

"You really had no clue...did you?"

"To think...you also were..."

And then, Rune cut through Ford and finished destroying the Servant himself.

"Sorry. I did think you were kind of cool, Ford. But, your done with the stage here".

That was when he and Set looked up, at an approaching power.

"...is that..."

"It seems my brother has come to finish the fight..."

"HOld on, wait a..." Rune started, but Set already took off. "...right, we forgot to tell them. Ooops".

"I say we let them fight it out" Toko added, stepping out of the shadows. "In any case, it will provide a good distraction. I have secured two warp pads. While they fight each other and keep everyone distracted, we can aim for our targets".

"You mean, the Church".

"Yeah. You did find their secret base, right?"

"When we knew what to look for, yes. So, we are saving Serdtse-sensei's family too?"

"They should be close by, just to keep the pressure on him. The Church wouldn't want to risk the possibility of being so focused on the grail war, they neglected hostages farther away".

"Well, then lets get moving".

* * *

"Ahh...we are losing power!" the quatro yelled as their robot started to lose power and collapsed backwards. "It seems that...the backup mana store is out?"

"We never did get to fully charge it...something must have happened to Castor..."

"Well, crap. And we were doing so well".

Zeus meanwhile just looked down at them with annoyance.

"Time to crush some bugs..."

He slammed his fist down...but right before it hit, he was blocked somehow. And he was even knocked back.

And standing in his way...was Joan of Arc!

"So...the fake Sabre has appeared...foolish!"

"You might be right...I have always been a fake. Fake Sabre, Fake Ruler, Fake HOly Maiden...but, dont think that my passion is fake!"

"Divine Lightning!"

"Activate Noble Phantasms: Excalibur...and Clarent BLood Arthur!"

"What?!" Zeus cried out in surprise, as Excalibur let loose red flames as it attacked. Zeus countered with his divine lightning, but the two equaled each other out, evenly matched in this situation. A colorful image spread into the minds of others as they clashed though...

Crimson fire and blue lightning.

"Did you honestly think that I would give up easily? Lets do this, Excalibur!"

And so, Sabre of Black unleashed her Noble Phantasm as she clashed with with the Sabre of Red. The shockwaves created by the two cracked the ground, destroyed several trees around them, and caused untold catastrophic damage across the region. Furthermore, the sheer magical power caused a pillar of red and blue to shoot up into the sky.

Sabre of Black attacked again and again, pushing Sabre of Red back. But Sabre of Red suddenly ducked and went around her, striking at her side. She took the blow, being blown away several dozen meters but ended up landing on her feet. Her helmet long torn to pieces, her blonde hair was let down.

"I think that you are far too arrogant missy. To face off so easily...against a god".

"You are the one who is arrogant, thinking I would let you get away with all this!"

"Fine then. I suppose no words will stop you...except maybe, the cries of children. But will it be for enjoyment, or despair?"

"You bastard!" Sabre of Black shouted, and then charged right at Sabre of Red.

Meanwhile, two smaller figures looked out at all the chaos, but neither of them took their eyes off of each other. Both of them had brown hair, but one had red eyes and one had blue. Both appeared young though, no older then ten or eleven, but they stood perfectly on top of rooftops.

"This fight is getting interesting. Want to just get some popcorn and watch?"

"Not happening. I wont eat any food made by you".

"Awww, you dont trust me?"

The boy with blue eyes turned towards the one with red.

"Says the Assassin..."

"...I am not the only one who is an Assassin here".

Assassin of Black and Assassin of Red stared off at each other. While it seemed casual between the two of them, each one was looking for the chance to gut each other and slit their throat.

"I suppose if they are going to put on a show, we should do the same".

"All this staring is getting annoying..."

And then suddenly, they disappeared, reappearing in the center space between the two. Both drew dual daggers and tried to attack, but were prevented from hitting each other by their own blocking and dodging ability.

And while they, and all the other servants, fought it out to the death over the Greater Grail, Sherlock Holmes, the Ruler, stood and watched.

"...where is that person...after all the chaos he caused in starting this Greater Holy War, it certainly wont end this simply".

There was something terribly wrong here...

Sherlock had figured out most of it, how it would play out. Indeed. He knew basically everything, except the ringleader behind the true chaos. He knew that there was a Master involved, one of the fourteen. He knew that much. But...there was something missing. And without him acting oddly, without his identity, it was difficult for him to figure out. Some sort of cloaking magic for sure.

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle on the beach was reaching its conclusion as well.

As Archer of Black and Rider of Red clashed, Miku suddenly found something strange happen, as a spout of water went and attacked her! She managed to defend herself, but other attacks came in as well.

"You are not the only one who can use water!" Kaori announced. "Even in this Astral Form, I can fight you! Now, Rider!"

"Right! I see the opening!" Rider shouted, as she charged in.

"Nooooo! Billly!" Miku screamed as her power swelled. BIlly held his two guns as he charged them up with Mana...but before he could fire, was stabbed right through, the guns flying towards Miku as she desperately grabbed them, as if she was grabbing hold of him. But it was already too late, as his body was deteriorating. "Billy! No!"

"Its...okay...Miku-chan...you don't need me anymore..."

"Nooooooooo!"

BIlly then faded away, as Miku stood there starting to cry as she was holding the guns...hold on...

_They...didn't disappear..._

That is when Miku realized...these guns did not look like his normal ones...

And then, she remembered about how BIlly mentioned how he had talked to Ford about getting some upgraded weapons for future fights...these guns, charged with his Noble Phantasm...she poured her mana into them!

"What the...oh no, stop her!"

"I wont let you win! I wont let you get away with hurting my friend!" Miko screamed, as she pulled the triggers when she pointed the guns at Rider of Red...and the subsequent release of energy, the combination of her mana and BIlly's, blew the Servant away...

And so, the casualties so far were: Berserker of Red, Rider of Red, Castor of Red, Archer of Black, Castor of Black, Berserker of Black, Rider of Black.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Red Headquarters...

"Tell Archer we are going to momentairily lose communications. I think we are about to get attacked by Assassin of Black, and should move to a safer location now that we are more servants down".

"Alright...I will tell him to return then, so we can ambush Assassin".

"I see...I suppose thats a good move..." he mentioned, as he communicated to Archer the plan. "Alright, he should be...what?!"

Suddenly, Inuzuka ducked as a huge wave of magical energy burst through the room, instantly killing some and wounding others, like the Masters. And a force of telekinetic energy then hit Inuzuka, pinning him to the wall.

"I suppose, now that we are in this stage, I have no need for the rest of you. Archer can do just fine using his Independent Action to finish the fight, avenge you after Horus, Assassin of Black, tried to butcher us all. Going through all of us, with me just barely able to hold him off at the end to make him retreat".

"What...is...but...we are...the same team..."

"You know we would have to fight each other the moment we had the Grail. And I dont want to be concerned with anyone stabbing me in the back to try and steal Sabre. It would be annoying. So this was always the plan".

"No...damn...it...then..."

"Yes, thats right. We did have a traitor...and it was me" he said, as he snapped the neck of a Mage's Association subordinate who was only unconscious, and drained him of magical power. "The Greater Grail...and this world, will be mine".

He then drew his sword, and threw it at Inuzuka telekinetically. It hit him, and then he pulled the sword out in order to finish...

"Noble Phantasm: Twin Hunters: Apollemis!"

A voice called out, and two powerful arrows hit both Terry Blood and the sword away, as Ikarus flew in and scooped his master up before flying right on out of there through the hole he made in the roof.

"Master! Master! Are you okay..."

"...no...not really...I...I cant feel anything..."

After getting a good distance away, Ikarus landed, and tried to help deal with the wounds on his Master. Still, nothing seemed to be working, and only got himself covered in blood.

"No! Not like this! I dont want to loose you!"

"Its...okay...you have...other friends you can help. Rune...and Set...and those boys from the Black Faction...just, dont let him win..."

"No! You cant give up!"

"By my remaining Command Seals...I order you to stick around, to help the people you like, and to try and hash out your own victory...on your own".

And so, using his remaining Command Seals, he charged Ikarus with all of his remaining mana...and tried to make him happy.

"...you can still win...you can still explore this world...if you can get the right teammates..."

"...alright then..." Ikarus said, standing up and fully displaying his wings. "I will use all of your mana, and get us our own victory. I will make your final wish true...and have my wish granted, even if I have to do it myself".

* * *

**AN:** Bum bum buuuuu! And so, the villain has finally revealed himself! The epic showdown has finally reached the point we have been heading towards! Its anyones guess now, how this holy war ends...but...POOOR MIKA-CHAN! I was really rooting for you! You even won in multiple simulations I had for how this would go down!

At least it was sweet, at the end...anyways, sorry this is taking so long! Stay tuned, as we approach conclusion!


	20. Chapter 20: Desolation

**Chapter 20: Desolation**

* * *

**AN:** Sorry if some of the battles feel like their missing or short, but ultimately its some pretty bad matchups. Assassin vs Castor? Twice? Well, at least we have the Sabres fighting now...and other fights incoming...

* * *

"That was surprisingly easy..." Rune mentioned as he and Toko carried out the rest of Serdtse-sensei's family. "One would have thought that the CHurch would have more guards".

"Or stronger ones. Its probably because the planned to act before anyone reached here, but they did not expect us to attack during the final battle and let their guard down. Besides, this is a radical group of the Church, they probably were more worried about Serdtse-sensei then anyone else".

As they spoke, the Church behind them that they had been hiding in blew up.

"And now, there is no evidence at all of what happened. And the fake bodies I gathered and then altered the DNA of should fool them into thinking his family is dead".

"Still, I dont like this. Everything feels off. Red Faction seems like its lowering in strength, and they have the resources of the Mage's Association behind them".

"True. Let me...oi oi".

"What?"

"Red Faction HQ is on fire!"

Suddenly, the two of them sensed something approaching, something fast and dangerous.

"Rune, get them out of here now! Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Moonscale Blades!"

"Fine!" Rune said, as he picked up the entire family using levitation runes.

And that was when that person impacted the ground away from them, leaving a crater and creating a shockwave and pretty much blew Rune and Serdtse-sensei's family away.

"...so, you are the final boss huh?"

Toko said that as he took a fighting stance. He was in full lightweight combat gear now, wearing a white T shirt, black shorts, black sturdy shoes, and a light blue hooded jacket. All of was in truth fabric reinforced with enchantments on each thread, to protect him, heal him, and enhance his abilities even further, in addition to using his mana circuits.

And then, the one who stepped out of the crater was Terry Blood.

"It sounds like you know almost everything right now..."

"ALmost?"

"Yes. You would not be making that expression, so calm, if you knew everything. So let me show you...a piece of truth. Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Godly Fists".

"What?!"

"You see, my last name is not blood by coincidence" he said as his fists glowed with a radiance. "Its because my Family's Crest, and its magic...are about the manipulation of the body, how it works, how to enhance it, how to modify it...and of course, how to create homonculus".

"Wait...hold on...could it be..."

"And now, just like all the others, I will kill you as well".

* * *

Meanwhile, on the field of battle, Sabre of Red and Sabre of Black fought against each other at full power.

"Excalibur...Ultima!"

"Divine Retribution!"

The two clashed. Zeus with a sword made of pure lightning, and Joan with her mimiked excalibur. The two drove each other back, then charged forward again and clashed blades. It was truly an epic fight, though...

"They seem...evenly matched?"

"ITs because they are both Sabre Classes. Their modes of attack tend to be direct. That said, Zeus is superior in both stats and the fact he does have attack diversity, which puts Joan at a disadvantage".

"So then, Joan will lose?"

"Indeed. And, she probably knows that too".

And as the conversation between those four went on who were observing, Zeus summoned another fistful of lightning.

"Divine Smite!"

"Avalon!"

"Thunderbreaker!"

And yet, as Zeus hammered down upon him, attacks from all sides came right at him. Terry Blood had disposed of his support staff, no longer finding them helpful given what stage his plans was on, but Suzuki Subaru still had hers, so regardless of how effective that really was, it was still a factor.

"Damn ants! Get out of my way!"

As Suzuki smiled, happy to see it was bothering him, a messanger came up to her.

"Ma'am! We have confirmed, a Servant of Red Faction is attacking HQ! Comms are down! And Lancer has appeared!"

* * *

Some time ago...

"We have confirmed the presence of Lancer approaching the Greater Grail!" said one student in the former computer lab, and now tactical hub for the Black Faction Forces.

"Ford's group is holding up! But we are recieving fire from the Mage's Association! Barriers are at 20%, but with this firing, they will end up involving innocent civilians! What are they thinking!"

"They aren't. They are desperate" one glasses wearing middle schooler named Yuma Tokorori said. "They are desperate to stop the dream, the wish, of Toko Kiragime-sama".

As such, he stood up and ounded his chest, much like a salute. Others did the same.

"They are afraid of change, of unknowns, and of hope itself. For too long, Mages have lived in darkness, done dark things. They seek to plunder our spoils and stop our advances, mesmerized by what we can achieve. It is Toko-sama who will advance us to victory!"

"Then, is it time?"

"Yes! Prepare that! It is time to show them the spirit of freedom! Of hope! Of adventure! No matter what the risks and dangers may be, it is time!"

However, that was when the door was kicked open, and Archer of Red appeared in the door, though heavily injured.

"Not...so fast..."

"How did you get through our defenses!?"

"Run!" Icarus shouted, when there was suddenly an explosion from behind. Icarus ended up using a Noble Phantasm to absorb most of the blow, as Lancer of red appeared behind him. He then went and attacked Icarus again, who defended. "Damnit...come on Ajax, you have to be in there somewhere!"

"I...will serve...the Grail...the Command Seals".

"Damnit...Grail must have wiped out his mind. This is bad".

"Hold on, what is going on?"

"You are not being attacked by the Mage's Association...not really. Terry Blood slaughtered the other Red Masters, aside from those who were not there, after most of their servants were defeated. He betrayed us all, and now he is seeking to wipe out everyone else and take the Greater Grail! It seems like he has stopped caring about any life other then his own".

Ajax continued to attack Icarus as he explained, but even though he was an Archer, Icarus was holding his own in close range combat still. His previous master had decided to teach him some things on the off chance he needed them just in case, and now they were coming into use.

Still, this was a terrible situation for him. And for some reason, Lancer of Black was a no-show.

_Is she planning on waiting out everyone, have them all kill each other, and then finish off who is left? Damnit, this is not the time for that! We need to team up and defeat Terry!_

Icarus was able to hold his own because of the mana given to him by Command Seals, and his ability for Independent Action. He was shocked Ajax was still around, but he figured that just meant Grail gave him plenty of mana for it along with those Command Seals to force this action and leave him blank.

Which meant that Icarus was fighting at a disadvantage. Still, he did not want to give up. He wouldn't allow himself to".

"We are getting confirmed reports...Ford and Mika just went down, but Rider of Red is down too!" someone mentioned as they were evacuating, causing Ajax to destroy the computers.

"He is trying to divide Black Faction? Damnit, this guy...he has gone completely insane".

And then, Ajax charged right at him...

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods, as Toko and Terry clashed blades to fists, Rune was recovering as well as he was heading off towards an old campsite with the family, making sure to get them to safety before returning. However, when he got there, the camp site was surprisingly in use. Rune quickly put them down, away and out of sight, and approached the group while looking flustered.

"What the hell is going on in the forest?! Why cant I reach command?!" Rune asked Dr. Warren, running up to him at the designated hillside camp. Meanwhile, as Rune looked around, he spotted three battles alone going on during the dark and stormy night. First was his own servant, Set, facing off against the enemy Assassin, Horus. And then of course, on a projected screen, they could see the fight between Sabre of Black and Sabre of Red.

However, there was also a third battle taking place in the forest, far from the Sabres, which he had no information or visual on.

"What has happened?!"

Dr. Warren just shook his head.

"That...demon...killed all of the support staff in the Red Faction Command Room. It slaughtered them all! You need to get to him, and kill him!"

"You serious?"

"Yes! Its bad enough that we have to absolutely make sure that boy, Toko, does not achieve his wish, but now this...this has gone too far!"

"This isn't another one of your tricks right?"

"Of course not. While I do live only to serve Master Blood, I would never hinder his allies either. Certainly not in this situation!"

Although it seemed relatively peaceful, the tension between the two was easily felt.

"I swear, I liked it better when it was just as simple as one side versus another..."

"What was..."

Suddenly, Rune dropkicked Dr. Warren to the ground.

"But, at least I got the drop on a lying bastard like you".

"What...wait...do you..."

That was when Rune took off his Disguise Rune, and revealed his true appearance.

"Hate to...no, love to tell you this, but you wont be able to manipulate me like that".

"It cant be...a homunculus?! YOu are one of those..."

Rune then put his shoe on the guy's neck.

"Now, it seems to me you seem very...devout, towards Blood Bastard. So, would you mind telling me what his wish is?"

"Hahaha! Its too late, you cant stop him! He will become a god, his body is perfected for it!"

"...his wish is to become a god?"

"He will become THE god of this world! And then those who supposed him shall join him in his pantheon!"

"Seriously? And what do you mean, his body was perfected?"

"Tell me...do you really think that we destroyed all that useful superior genetic material from that project?"

As he said that, Rune's eyes became filled with rage and shock.

"Yess...that is right. Grafted, transfused, and implanted into him, everything from the best organs of the crop, to the best skin...is from you homonculus! He is the most superior human in existence!"

At those words, Rune broke the man's neck without flinching, or feeling remoseful, right as he started to cackle.

"...Toko needs my help...Set! You get your butt here with Horus right now!"

"What, why?!"

"The fight is pointless, we are all going to win! But remember what I told you?! That bastard Terry Blood is behind it all, and is about to kill my brother Toko! So I need all of you here, now!"

With the disguise gone, Rune channeled his mana into new runes. Physical reinforcement, enhanced speed, enhanced reflexes, and had several attack runes primed and ready. He was preparing to go all out.

"I am coming, Toko!"

* * *

Icarus saw as the attack came towards him from Ajax, going right for the throat. He knew he could not react in time...

"Ice Burst!"

And that was when Ajax was shot out of a window by a huge chuck of ice that seemed to form from nowhere".

"Where did..."

"There is moisture in the air" a girl's voice told him as she stepped up towards Icarus, and the hole that Ajax just made as he was thrown out of the classroom. "That can be instantly manipulated and frozen into an attack".

And the identity of that person was...Mika.

She had heard everything that had been said here, and despite the chaos here, could not help but smile.

_"You can win this, Mika-chan". You...he said you once, not us. Could it be he saw this far ahead? Of course he did...Billy was an Archer after all, always with his eye on the horizon._

"Icarus-kun, right?"

"Yeah..."

"So, the boss of Red Faction betrayed your master, and started killing you all early?"

"Yeah".

"And now, you want to stop him? And Lancer?"

"Yeah!"

"I see...in that case, Ruler!"

In that instant, Sherlock Holmes appeared behind them.

"Yes Mika-chan, it is allowed".

"Good...in that case, Icarus. Seperate, neither of us can defeat Lancer I think".

"Agreed".

"Then...how about we join forces, to fufill our wishes, and give our partners some peace. How does that sound? Will you accept me, as your master?"

"Will you accept me, as your Servant?"

The two looked at each other, and nodded. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared around them both, and the bond was formed. In addition, although very unusual, Mika somehow returned to having full Command Seals. Meanwhile, Ruler looked upon them as Astolfo joined him.

"You know...their situation, it kind of reminds me of what happened to you and Sieg in the first Greater Grail War".

"You mean, a child with great power, adopting the Servant of a former enemy, and then joining in on the Greater Grail War? Sounds like fun!"

Sherlock smiled. "Indeed. Though, I doubt this Grail War will go quite as simple as that..."

* * *

Toko dug his feet into the ground as Terry knocked him away, making sure not to tumble and being able to defend against his next attack.

Terry was moving so fast though, it was like he was teleporting. He appeared next to Toko, but Toko managed to block.

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Spirit Shield!"

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Blood Enchant!"

Toko used another defensive Noble Phantasm, and blocked the increasingly powerful assault of Terry Blood and his Noble Phantasms.

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Blood Blade!"

At this point however, Terry Blood brought forth a sword, swinging it so fast it might as well have been a helicopter blade. Toko enhanced his own speed, to fend off, as they darted around the battlegrounds, but as the sword grazed him once...he felt his body tense up, and become hard to move.

"Got you now" he said, as he charged forward and drove the sword through Toko and into the ground. It was a very serious wound, and even with healing and regenerative abilities, could be fatal as he was loosing blood. "I did say my magic focused around blood after all. Have a fun afterlife, Toko-kun. Who knows, maybe you will even be summoned as a Heroic Spirit one day".

He chuckled as he said that, only to suddenly get hit with a massive and powerful attack that sent him flying away, with someone leading the charge.

"You bastard!" she screamed, and Suzuki brought forth the full power of Networked Mana as she attacked him, while Toko continued to bleed to death.

_Please...someone get there...and save him!_

That was her hope as she drove Terry Blood away, to face him herself.

* * *

**AN: **Haha! Bet I surprised at least some of you with some of this! We are now totally caught up with present time! Who will win? Who will die? Will Toko be saved? However, Mika-chan and Icarus are back in the race! Never exclude any surviving Master out when there is a Surviving Servant as well! Hope you enjoyed, and leave some reviews!


	21. Chapter 21: Showdown

**Chapter 21: Showdown**

Swishing and clashing. Sparks and fire. All of this and more clashed against each other as the final battle was underway. Sabre against Sabre, Master against Master.

And meanwhile, Toko laid there on the ground when Horus, Set, and Rune finally arrived.

"Damnit!" Rune shouted, creating a healing wound to help keep Toko alive while he used others to cleanse the areas and disinfect it. He also established a barrier rune to help keep the area safe from any attacks.

"What..."

"...what the hell is going on?"

"Damnit...so that bastard was behind everything the whole time! Hey, I need you two to help me! Help me heal him and stabilize the wound!"

"Right!"

"ON it!"

It seemed that the situation was so shocking, Horus and Set had put aside their own argument for the moment, and they were all working to figure out what to do.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the woods...

"Take this! Full Blaze Enchant!"

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: No Moon's Sanctum".

The two clashed, with seemingly equal power. Suzuki was having all of the networked mana at her disposal to power her and her abilities, but it was being matched by Terry Blood and his Artificial Noble Phantasms.

"Reactor Shift!"

"Blood Enhancement, Third Gear!"

Several weaker and younger trees went flying as the two clashed, and proceeded to fight each other.

"Furious Slash!"

"Shell Shield!"

Suzuki and Terry were going all out now, though Suzuki was pushing him to be on defense with her relentless attacks.

"Hmmf. You really think you can beat me? At some point, your power will run out".

"So will yours! You dont have limitless power either!"

"I have more power then all of you combined!"

"We will see about that!"

SHe then suddenly accelerated, moved behind Terry, and delivered a powerful blow. He was sent skidding, but as the dust cleared he was still on his feet, having blocked the attack apparently.

"You wont have much use for your magic here, you know".

"You sure about that?" she replied, when cuts appeared across his body as if he had been cut repeatedly. "Because, it occurs to me...you dont really know much about my magic, do you?"

Terry clicked his tongue, as he was not sure what she had done to cause those wounds. But he knew who she was...there had been one scientist that disappeared, who no one was sure what they had happened to. And after the festival, he had discovered all of her records had been faked. She just seemed to appear at school, the same time as Toko, and that was that.

"I know who you are...Doctor".

She smiled rather mischevously in that moment, her eyes appearing like the eyes of a predator.

"I must admit, using your magic to change your appearance that much was quite impressive. I didn't realize who you were until after I had gone back to HW and looked things up. You are the missing doctor...or rather, you were the one who alerted the Mages Association to what happened. The spy, the informant. You were the one who put a halt to everything".

"Clever boy, clever boy" she replied. "But you know, when you force someone to work on something inhumane against their will, they are going to fight back you know?"

"Damn...should I call you a bastard or a bitch then".

"How about, you call the your killer?"

Suddenly, she disappeared from his view, and appeared to his side as she slashed into him with a sword. His skin was strong enough and hard enough to stop him from getting cut in two, and his muscles managed to absorb a lot of kinetic energy, but he was still sent flying. His momentum was only stopped by the third large tree he impacted.

However, he jumped out in a condition that was still able to fight.

_Strange...the longer the fight is going on, the faster and stronger she gets...could it be...Perpetual Motion?_

She wasted no time at all, appearing right in front of him and moving even faster.

"Activate Artificial Noble Phantasm: Shockwave Shield!"

As she was about to land a blow though, shockwaves began to eminate from his body and push her back. It was clearly a move to slow her down, but she then started to cut through the shockwaves. This was not going to be as easy as he thought.

* * *

"Damnit! This blood...its continuously hurting Toko! We need to keep going, or he wont last much longer!"

Meanwhile, Rune and the Assassins were in a desperate fight to save Toko's life, which was being eaten away at by Terry Blood's Artificial Noble Phantasm. They were so focused in fact, none of them noticed or could react in time as Lancer of Black appeared, charging right at Rune to skewer him.

And yet, the lance was stopped, as there was a barrier in her away. Still, Lancers were masters in the art of piercing, so as she dug her lance into the shield, it began to crack rather easily.

"Sorry...but I am afraid this is the end of the line for you" Ren mentioned as she stepped out of hte shadows. Just as she had hoped, she had managed to get everyone to go and try to kill each other. Only a few master/servant teams remained now. Suzuki would weaken that hulk of a man Terry, then get finished by him, and then after she finished these three off, she could finish him off too, defeat a masterless Lancer of Red, and win the Greater Grail War.

"Damnit! So this was your plan all along!"

"Indeed. And now, thanks to all of you, I will be the one winning the Greater Holy Grail War".

The three of them tried to move, but then found their minds scrambled by Ren's Mental Interference Magic. She had been saving this for just an occasion, so she had made sure she was fully charged up.

And so while those three were mentally assaulted, she had Lancer continue to break through the barrier.

"It is a bit sad that everyone at HQ had to die to Lancer of Red to make this plan work, but I had to adapt to things as they happen. No plan is perfect after all" she said as she stepped forward, only to find Lancer suddenly picking her up and carrying her away before several arrows rained down on her position. "Huh...wait what? But, I heard both Archers were..."

"Any servant without a master..."

"...and any master without a servant..."

""...might not be out of the game just yet!""

A duo of voices could be heard, and so the group turned towards them. And as for who it was, it was the duo of Mika and Icarus.

"Tsk. Mika is back in the game? Hold on, but what about Lancer?"

Mika and Icarus thought back to Lancer for a moment...

As Lancer had been standing back up from the rubble...Mika and Icarus took positions that overlooked him. Mika was holding Billy's Weapons he had given her, and Icarus was using his Noble Phantasm.

"Ice Storm Cataclysm!"

"Arrow Barrage!"

And then unleashed multiple powerful attacks before he could recover and dodge.

"...we caught him off guard".

Ren scowled as she heard that. _No, that isn't just it...its Mika herself thats the issue. Toko and Suzuki have their own oddities for sure, but Mika...she is just a natural talent, and a powerhouse. Her magic circuits are unusually powerful and efficient, and she can deliver attacks. And those weapons on her side...Noble Phantasm Class Gear now, I bet. But where is this courage coming from? She was not much of a threat before because she was more timid, and hated fighting...but now, here she is. Brimming with courage and confidence? This was not a very good time for this development._

"You know...if Toko there dies, all the remaining Black Faction members are girls now it seems. We could work toge..."

"I was never fooled by you, you know?" Mika responded, her voice confident and unwavering. "I knew from the start what kind of person you were, but I didn't want to create any conflict and never did anything about it. But...I dont think you can be trusted, with a wish from the Greater Grail".

Icarus raised his weapons, as Mary raised hers.

"You servant...is Mary the First".

"How did you..."

"Like I said, I prefer studying and passifism to fighting. I did my research, knowing one day we might have to, in order to find a way to avoid fighting. But...I wont let you go around, manipulating people for your own whims anymore! And I wont let you do anything else bad either!"

"Tsk. Damnit, you idiotic, annoying brat! I will show you just how much better I am! I wont let you get in my way!"

"Icarus, by this Command Seal, I order you to take down Lancer of Black!"

"Mary, by this Command Seal, I order you to slaughter them both!"

"Eternal Frost Prison!"

Icarus flew into the sky while Mary charged at Mika, only for Mika to create a huge block of ice that managed to stop her for a few seconds.

"Mary, use all your Mad Enhancement to the limit!"

"I WILL MURDER ALL PROTESTANTS!"

"Water Spurt!"

And then, as Mary broke out, a huge spurt of water knocked her into the air as Icarus unleashed more barrages on her. She twisted herself around though, and swung her lance at him. He was just barely able to dodge, but it seemed she manipulated force dispersion to get near him and knock him towards the ground.

However, she was then hit from above by a giant water blade.

As for Ren herself, she was trying to use her magic on Mika, but Mika's own magical ability and the power of her circuits seemed to give her some sort of magic resistance.

Icarus then flew out of the crater made by his impact, affected but still in the fight.

"Its okay Icarus-kun! You can do it, I believe in your!" Mika told him, the same words Billy had told her to help her stay strong. She couldn't help but find the situation a bit meloncholy and sweet and amusing, because she knew how happy BIlly would be right now.

_I will win this. I wont let your sacrifice be in vain._

Meanwhile, Icarus and Mary were engaged in intense combat. He was still sad about loosing Inuzuka, but Inuzuka had used his remaining Command Seals to give him a chance, a chance to see this through to the end. A chance to get help. A chance...to find a master.

_You were so kind to me. In ways, we understood each other. And you realized...you realized how easily I could get a second chance, how I could make a friend with an available Master from Black Faction. I wont let your death go unpunished, and I wont let you down. For us, for all of us, I will win this Grail War. I wont let you down, Inuzuka...oniichan._

The two, who had both lost someone, synergized very well. Billy had given her the hope, the courage, to face the things she did not want to. And for Icarus, Inuzuka had taught him the value of staying near the ground sometimes, of making friends. Apart, they might not have known how to utilize these lessons. But together, they could help each other push through this, to honor their partners, and make it to the very end.

And because of that, they were both able to manifest all of their power together.

* * *

Meanwhile, Suzuki and Terry had gone all out with each other, but so had the sabres. And yet...Joan of Arc was indeed losing, as she was blown back by the latest attack. She had been all but defeated, as only the final blow had been missing. No, rather, it had been deliberately held back.

"...waht the hell are you doing?"

"isn't it obvious?" Zeus replied as he smiled. "I am enacting a plan, fit for a god".

* * *

And then and there, Sherlock realized everything. What was going to happen. What was about to happen. The final clue that they had been meticulously shielding to prevent his Noble Phantasm from working came into view.

"...I see...so thats it huh? That is the anomaly I must deal with".

* * *

And in the woods, far away from everything, Suzuki and Terry clashed to the last blade. Terry had recieved a number of injuries...but, Suzuki was the one who fell to the ground. She was not dead yet, but he had finally managed to cut her. Between his Noble Phantasm, her exaustion, and the blows he gave her that did not cut, she was incapable of moving and would probably die soon. However, his own state was not great himself.

As he took a step forward, a stormcloud appeared overhead.

"Did you finish Sabre off? I still see her remaining Command Seal".

"About that...there has been a change in the plan" Zeus replied, as Terry was suddenly struck by lightning from the stormcloud. His final Command Seal disappeared in that instant, and his mana and lifeforce was drained from his body.

"Wh...what?! YOu cant..."

"Oh, but I can. You see, there can only be one ultimate god at the top of this world...and that will be me. I shall be the one who will take the Greater Grail and lead this world, all on my own" he replied, as Terry coughed up blood and began to shrivel. "But thank you, for being such a good pawn".

And then, as he finished that, the stormcloud scooped up Suzuki, and headed right for the caverns undernearth the school, where the Greater Grail was being kept. Towards his prize.

* * *

Ren dropped to her knees in shock, all her plans foiled, as she saw the most ironic twist ever. Mika had finished Mary off with a giant spear of ice that shot out of the ground, piercing her through completely.

And between that, and all the fighting and stress, she just passed out and fainted right there. Totally not because Icarus flew behind her and hit her head or anyhting. No, he was just behind her, innocently whistling.

But with it done, Mika then ran over as Rune dropped the barrier, so she could help stabilize Toko. However...it seemed like no matter what they did, there was no hope. That was it.

Horus looked off in the distance though, unhappy. "It looks like...Zeus killed Terry Blood, kidnapped Suzuki and Sabre of Black, and is now heading towards the Greater Grail...and I cant see any way to save Toko, or defeat him".

"...did we lose? Wait, does this mean we all lost?" Set asked, in shock and confused as well. After all, if Horus could not even see...

"No! I dont want to let Toko-kun die! We have lost too many already! We all seem to be getting along, cant we just have an allied victory?!"

"Actually" a very familiar voice said as a figure walked out of the shadows. "There is a way, to save Toko, and have all your wishes granted. Rune, do you still have it?"

Rune realized what he was talking about immediately, and took out what looked like a golden rod. "It took this form...can it still be used?"

"Indeed. It only took that form out of recoil from being seperated from the personality that developed in it. It will only work in the pressence of the Greater Grail though, and there is technically a way you can have two wishes granted from it".

At those words, everyone looked at him with shock. Maybe it was just their imaginations, but it sounded like hopeful music started to be played, like when an allied group of protagonists would have in the background right before the final fight.

"What did you say?"

"You see, normally I am not allowed to help like this, but now things have changed. Zeus, a Servant, a dead being, is attempting to become a GOd, to rule over the living. As such, a rule has been violated, and I am allowed to take action. My plan is dangerous, reckless, and unheard of...but, its the best chance we have".

Everyone looked at each other, and nodded. No one wanted to let Zeus win, certainly not become a massive overlord of everything.

"Alright then, tell us what to do".

And so, the preparations for the final battle...began.


	22. Chapter 22: Eleventh Hour

Zeus stood there, looking at the Greater Grail with envy and pride. At this point, he no longer needed to deal with the others. He just needed to make sure Suzuki did not expire before he was done with Sabre. After all, this Sabre was a Ruler previously. Some of her abilities seem to have held, which means he could use her as an interface...to manipulate the Greater Grail, and therefore all the Grails, as he wished. And through the Grail Network, he would gain the ultimate power.

And yet, in that exact moment, as he was adjusting everything...a portal opened behind him, near the entrance of the cavern, as multiple people stepped out. The final masters and servants, gathered together to stop him. Six people in total. Rune, Horus, Set, Mika, Icarus, and Sherlock.

"How did you get here so quickly?"

"The Grail has a natural feature that lets it connect to the Greater Grail" Sherlock mentioned, stepping forward. "Since they were on the same plane, and so close in proximity, it was easy to establish a portal for us to get here".

"So, the Grail did still exist? Given the requirements needed to steal it from under us, a master of Assassin I am guessing, since both Castors were taken out. But tell me...do you think you can defeat me with just those numbers? You seem to be one Master of Assassin short...or, did you epicly fail to save his life? Is that why you are here? To use the power of the Greater Grail to do that? You think you all can face me, in this form?"

That question was answered, as a seventh person stepped out of the portal.

"Hey, don't write me off as dead just yet" Toko replied, looking totally healthy.

"What...impossible!" Zeus shouted, less annoyed at the fact he was alive itself rather then the fact they just made him look like a fool.

"And...now!"

That was when Icarus flew up and unleashed a massive barrage, while Horus and Set disappeared from sight. Mika unleashed her own powerful magic at that point for a direct attack, while Rune ran up and enhanced himself with his magic. Toko also joined in, his Moonscale blades already out.

**Chapter 22: Eleventh Hour**

"Sky Barrage!"

"Syncronized Noble Phantasms: Egyptian Death Blades!"

"Ice Mountain Explosion!"

"Runic Blaze!"

"Moonscale Eclipse!"

That was when Sherlock held out his hand, wondering something. He only used his Ruler powers a little, to make it valid, and then...Excalibur flew over into his hands.

"So, it does choose me also, cool...anyways, Activate Noble Phantasm: Excalibur!"

"Divine Lightning Storm! Wraith of the King of Gods!"

"Runic Summoning: Lightning Rods!"

"Moonscale Sky Pierce!"

Everyone swarmed around him and began delviering attacks. His size had increased even further, probably indicating the sheer amount of mana he absorbed from Terry. And yet, a single punch on the ground created a shockwave that also indicated his physical strength, as everyone was knocked back.

"Ha...to think you thought..."

"Activate Noble Phantasm: Lunar Bladestorm!"

And then, he was suddenly cut by a thousand blades that appeared around him, swarming and flying all over the place.

However, while it did hurt him quite a bit, he quickly destroyed them all with a lightning pulse.

"Ha, did you think that...gah?!"

And yet, as he gloated, the wounds enhanced themselves. The damage was far more severe then it should have been, considering the one who did it...was Toko.

"You brat and your artif..." he started, when something occured to him in that moment. "...wait...that Noble Phantasm wasn't..."

"So you finally noticed, you big dumb idiot" Horus said, pulling back his sleeve...and revealing Command Seals.

"What...but how...?!"

* * *

Flashing back to before the fight...

"Wait, how can we get two wishes out of this? I thought the Lesser Grail only held one, and we couldn't even use it till we brought it to the Greater Grail?"

"Indeed. But, its systems are still active. For connecting to the Greater Grail. And for summoning Servants. Although, I believe we will only be able to summon a single Servant".

"Hold on, you dont want to have a Heroic Spirit possess Toko right? I know what happens! ITs a near guarentee to explode!"

"That is no good!"

"Yeah! We dont want him dead!"

"His body might be enhanced, but its not that strong!"

"No, there is a way. If we summon the right Heroic Spirit. And thankfully, we have the perfect catalyst to guarentee that".

At that point, he looked over at Toko's body.

"Toko was seen as a hero in front of the eyes of many classmates".

Mika did remember, around the school, even in that communications room, many people were fans of his, and supported him.

"He possessed incredible strength and heroism".

They all remembered, how he fought in that one town, trying to keep everyone and everything safe, how he wanted to use his wish in such an abstract way to help people.

"And he possessed a powerful spirit...and a wish he wanted granted".

"Wait...hold on...you cant mean".

"During the Fifth Fuyuki Grail War, a Servant was called not from the past, but the future. The Throne of Heroes does not recognize time as an obstacle, its just forming a connection with the future is difficult. But...right here, right now...we have a Catelyst. The heroic spirit we will summon to possess Toko...will be Toko himself".

Everyone looked at him in shock, with the exception of Horus.

"Ohhh...oh thats brilliant. No wonder I could not see this solution. The Throne of Heroes exists outside of time..."

"Is it possible?"

"Yeah...its theoretically sound".

Horus chuckled a bit, before stepping forward.

"Alright. Me and Toko already have a connection, so lets do it. Lets save his life, by haivng his future self possess him".

* * *

And so, back in the present...

"By this power of these Command Seals, we command each other to finish you off once and for all!"

"By the power of this Command Seal, Set...eliminate Zeus!"

"By this power of my Command Seals as Ruler, I order you all to take out Zeus!"

"By the power of my Command Seals, all the ones left, Icarus, unleash your ultimate and final attack on Zeus!"

"By the power of my remaining COmmand Seal..." Suzuki managed to say. "Joan, help them out!"

And thus, as Joan recalled Excalibur, all of the Servants charged up with all of their strength. Maybe Zeus was fairly confident before, but...there were people in the group that had just used all three of their Command Seals at once. Even he could not ignore the sheer power and significance of that.

"""Activate Noble Phantasm: Death by a Thousand Cuts!"""

And then Toko, Horus, and Set all utilized the same power at once. Mika charged up Billy's Noble Phantasm Class Weapons, and fired them at Zeus as well to keep him occupied. And Sherlock...he projected a cut counter above the battlefield, with a rapidly rising number as Toko, Horus, and Set were all slashing at him. As for what it signified...it was obvious. Death by a Thousand Cuts meant the moment that number hit one thousand, Zeus would die. However, normally getting a thousand cuts before the technique timed out was hard to do. Which meant, even with three people, they all had to support them.

Zeus tried to attack with lightning and thunder and wind, to knock them away. But Mika continued to hammer and stagger him, and Joan stabbed Excalibur through one of his feet to keep him pinned, while Rune used Snare Runes to keep his other leg and arm from moving.

99 Cuts.

Zeus unleashed a powerful storm to try and knock them all away, but Joan used Avalon to help absorb the blow. Mika was still somewhat distracted by the impact, and Zeus used the opportunity to attack her, only for Ruler to block it as Icarus fired arrows into his eyes to make sure he could not do that again.

204 Cuts.

The three moved as fast as they could, to reach one thousand. His skin was thick and tough, and he was enhancing it to slow their slashing speed and buy as much time as he could. He unleashed an aura of lightning around him that ended up hurting them, but they pushed through the pain and kept at it.

358 Cuts.

"I wont let you...I am a god! I am the rightful ruler of this world! And I shall not let any of you stop me from seeking complete and total domination!"

"You are the one...who doesn't understand...the true lesson of the HOly Grail wars!"

As he shouted while unleashing powerful lightning bolts, trying to hit them with all his power, they dodged and shielded themselves, though only barely.

"The lesson is...to try and achieve your wish, you have to work with others!"

523 Cuts.

"I am the king of hte gods! I am superior to all of you! I will regain my rightful place, and this time I will do things myself, unhindered by others!"

"Just shut...the hell...up!"

As hte lightning became even more fierce as he got desperate, one stray bolt hit Set and managed to knock him away.

"Just keep going! Use everything you got!"

733 Cuts.

"No! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! I AM THE TRUE GOD OF THIS WORLD, THE GOD OF GODS! AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO STOP ME! YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO MY POWER!"

"Just shut up you stupid, senile old fart!" MIka shouted, though it sounded a bit forced.

"Was that...your first time insulting another person like that?" Sherlock asked.

"Umm...yeah...I dont think I am meant for it".

"OH WHATEVER! JUST SHUT UP AND DIE! ALL THOSE WHO DO NOT SUBMIT SHALL PERISH!"

955 Cuts.

As he slammed his foot into the ground, Set managed to rejoin the attack, and they all rushed at full speed despite Zeus's efforts.

973 Cuts.

He unleashed powerful lightning, grazing some of them. Toko got hit in the leg, and cried out in pain, but still kept at it, jumping and rushing around and cutting through him.

988 Cuts.

"NO...YOU CANT DO THIS!"

"YES, WE...CAN!"

999 Cuts.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he shouted, as the final cut was delivered. The moment it did, all one thousand cuts began to glow...and all the wounds seemed to superenhance each other. "THIS...IS...IMPOSSIBLE..."

And then, he fell right there, and turned into magical dust almost instantly.

And so, the god, Zeus, Sabre of Red, was defeated.

At that point, between all the stress they endured, actions used, and other details, they all collapsed to the ground exhausted.

"We...we did it..." Toko sighed with relief.

"We won..." Rune mentioned, as he laid on the ground in an eagle spread position.

"Woo...hooo!" Horus admitted as he rest against a rock.

"Yaaaaay..." Set managed to say as he rested against the other side of the rock.

"I cant believe...that worked..." Icarus said.

"...but I think this ending, is the best..." Sherlock said, as he looked over to Mika, who had remained standing, and walked over to the Greater Grail and put her palm against it.

"I am here...to claim and Request...a Multi-person victory".

As she said that, as she claimed the Greater Grail, a light emerged from it and filled the room. Suddenly, everyone was standing inside a grassy field, and felt revitalized. And in front of them, there was an unbelievably beautiful woman there. Additionally, Rune's Grail also began to glow, as a dark aura seemed to be forced out of it, and was then purged.

"It appears a sufficient amount of energy and power was poured into the Greater Grail to grant multiple wishes. However, it should be warned the exact number will depend on how much energy was expended for each wish".

The first one to step up...was Mika and Icarus.

"As I have examined all events, I have determined taht you two are the official winners of the Greater Grail War. Among the survivors, you have defeated the most Servants, and without a doubt your existence, your unique traits, were vital in leading to this conclusion. You have defeated Rider of Red, Lancer of Red, Lancer of Black, and helped defeat Sabre of Red after all, among your other contributions".

"I see...in that case, I want all the people important to us to be here, to come here, and exist in this world with us" Mika said, with her specifically worded wish. In that instance, an older boy seemed to appear in front of her, wearing comfy clothes one would not normally wear in public. However, he was not the only one...as Billy the Kid appeared as well, and even Icarus, Toko, Horus, and Set all glowed.

"What did..."

Icarus however just laughed with a smile.

"I se now. Her wish was for all the people important to us. She didn't specify alive or dead, nor did she specify normal human, or Servant!"

However, as Icarus said that...he then felt a hand touch his shoulder as he realized something.

"I agree, she was pretty clever with that" Inuzuka replied.

"For the record, people who are ressurected here do not get a wish" the woman clarified. "Now, Icarus".

"Well, I already got my revenge on Zeus" Icarus mentioned, cheerful about that. He hadn't mentioned anything before, but he was actually always considering putting an arrow into his back from the start. It was why he was so quick to get there and respond when his master was in danger. "So...I want immortality and invincibility! I want to be able to travel and explore forever, no matter what!"

"Very well...and now, Rune and Set".

Rune took the first step, and nodded. "I want me and my remaining brothers to be accepted by the world. I dont want to force everyone's personality too much, but...I want us to have a good, fair chance in this world".

"Very well...and Set?"

"Hmmm..." he said, looking over at Horus. The burning hatred that they used to have, after everything that happened... "...I kind of already had what I thought I wanted, so instead, I wish for the chance to have a fuffilling and happy life, with my brother and my friends".

"Very well...and now, Suzuki and Joan of Arc".

"I want...I want the chance for me and Toko to be happy, for us all to be happy! And for us all to live forever as we want".

"Very well...and Joan...you dont ned to say anything".

Before Joan could even speak, the woman smiled at her, the most expressive thing she had done so far.

"As an old friend and collegue, I knew what your wish will be. I suppose he gambled a lot on this plan, but its nice it paid off like this. I guess he had faith in you, all this time, as a Holy Maiden".

"Wait...you mean...".

"He is waiting outside" he said, as Joan glowed once more. "Have a happy eternity together".

"So, it was as I thought!" Astolfo said as he came walking in. "Sieg-kun was the one who dropped it off here!"

"Wait wait..." Rune said, pausing for a moment. "But, how is that...its underground...how did one person...or dragon...get it..."

Sherlock just patted Rune's back.

"Dont think too much into it".

"No, I feel like there is more to this! You are all hiding something massive!"

"Excuse me, I still have two wishes left to grant" she mentioned as she coughed to get their attention. "Toko and Horus. It is time for you. But first, I must ask you...are you sure that is the wish you want granted?"

Toko nodded. "Now more then ever. Someone needs to be there, ready, in case someone like either of them does this again".

"I am amazed you knew Toko's wish by heart though..." Horus added, impressed.

"Well, this is one of the original functions of the Greater Grail. To connect with the Gods, sealed away, and give them the chance to interact and help this world. Your wish...it supports the primary function of the Grail. In addition, we estimate catastrphic issues if we dont do this. In about one hundred years, we suspect an organization may try to use the Fate System to try and help the world, repair it, and fix its course...but, there is no guarentee their efforts would last. This however, has the highest chance of succeeding".

With those words, the two nodded.

"Then my wish...is for us to retain our powers and abilities, so we can help people, no matter what happens" Horus said.

"And my wish...its what it has been from the start. I wish to begin a second Age of the Gods. With all the power, benefits, and dangers that come with it".

Suddenly, the Greater Grail began to swell with intense levels of light.

"And so, all wishes have been granted. The Greater Grail has recognized Mikaela Belmont as the primary winner of the Greater Holy Grail War. All the energy built up from the Greater Grail and Lessar Grail have been used...the wishes shall now be enacted".

And as they were all being forced out back into the world...

"...thank you, everyone, for saving us all, now and in the future".

* * *

The first thing Joan did was walk out of the cavern, looking around the open courtyard.

"So it looks like everything worked, more or less" Sieg said, appearing from behind her. "Hello, Ruler".

"Sieg!" she exclaimed, jumping into his arms and giving him a hug.

* * *

"Well, this is a mess! How did this happen again?!" one Mages Association Member executive yelled, as they watched various news reports around the world. People developing magic out of nowhere, creatures appearing across the world, there was a dragon sighted in New York City! And the lost continent of Mu reappeared in the Atlantic, along with its capital, the lost city of Atlantis!

"...it seems, the balance of power...the status quo, was broken" another said.

"Still, maybe this is for the best after all" a third added, looking at things objectively. "We were always afraid of this happening, because of all the possible negatives, but since it is...why not try to make the most of it, instead of whining?"

"...you make a good point".

"Yeah, this does not have to be the end of the world, or the Mages Association...if we can play this right, we might come out on top".

* * *

Suzuki carried Toko out of the cavern in her arms.

"Please let me go..."

"Aww, but instead, why not make you naked. Then it would remind me a lot of that night..."

The two of them flashbacked, to the night after they both escaped the lab. Suzuki was carrying Toko in her arms, her just wearing a shirt and oversized boots, him totally naked, with ash and soot over them. She had altered her whole body with her magic, so a lot of the clothes she was wearing before did not fit.

She even remembered to what they said that day.

"...why is the world so cruel...I wish...I wish we had a better world, that made people more unified..."

"...I just wish for a better life for both of us, togehter against the world..."

"Its too bad wishes never come true..."

Those words gave Suzuki an idea. "Maybe, maybe not..."

And so, days later, she had built a telepathic relay, with a singular purpose in mind. To connect to the thoughts of a certain Dragon. To tell him, about a plan they had, about how they could be a part of it. And how he told them just the right Servant to summon to help make sure everything went according to plan.

From that point on, it was a complicated operation from the start. After they were done, they would wipe some of their own memories, to make sure no one learned the true plan. And as Sieg arrived, and helped them bury and plant the Greater Grail under the school, he also gave them a tiny keepsake he had kept, a hankerchief that Ruler had given him. And that was what Suzuki used to ensure she would summon Joan of Arc as her Sabre. Of course, she then had Sabre disguise herself to further make sure no one realized the oddity.

Meanwhile, Toko had extracted the concentrated mana within his own blood. The Greater Grail's pressence would help develop people's mana who were around it for a long time, but they still needed a kickstart. After all, two or so years might not be enough. So, he made sure to use small samples extracted in his blood as a kickstarter, to help give them a boost. And then, they looked out for people with promising ability, such as Mikaela. Her magic was already great in potential, and they thought maybe it would help her. Not to mention, her wish wouldn't endanger the world if granted.

And in the process, the Grail ended up collecting more energy then it needed, along with the energy of the Lessar Grail, and all the sheer souls and power stored up inside Terry Blood. Having used the corpses and souls of multiple homunculus to power himself, his own death was worth an entire set of Servants, maybe even two.

And so, looking for them and others, they made their moves, and then erased their own memories so that they did not reveal it accidentally.

But of course, they would want those memories back one day...the set trigger was the end of the Greater Grail War.

"I think it was a bit rocky, but it worked out rather well" Toko mentioned with a smile.

"Yeah...I think this ending is sufficient as well" Suzuki said, as everyone looked out into the ocean, and watched the sun rise on a whole new day.

**The End.**

* * *

**AN:** Thank you everyone, for reading along to its conclusion! And yes, you are correct in seeing what might just be the first SYOC fic being completed on Fanfiction maybe! I hope you all enjoyed, and if you want to talk with me, each other, and other fellow OC creators and Fanfic makers, come and join us on Discord! Here is a link for you to use, and I hope everyone enjoyed the story! Anyways, to join the Discord, go to Discord through the App or Web Browser or such, go to the option to enter a link or code to join a server, and enter this code: WTDUGBq

Happy creating, and we hope to see you there!


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